Sins of the Past
by whohasamonkey
Summary: It's been 6 years since Sasuke's death and Sakura is being asked to return home and take on a very special student. She wanted to refuse, but if there is a possibility of correcting her past sins then she really had no choice but return home. [No secret love child] AU, OC, possible Saku/Kaka in future
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If I did Kakashi would be my man servant.  
Spoilers: AU. The truth has been twisted to meet my needs, as all truths should be!  
Warnings: No beta. Some cuss words.  
Prologue**

* * *

The weather was getting cold again. This meant that she would have to move again. Over the years she had discovered that she hated cold weather. She did all that she could to avoid the snow. Snow meant cold weather, which equaled covering up.

As she had matured she had discovered that she loved her feminine body. She now wore short red dresses with green and pink flowers on them. The dresses were tight with slits on the sides. Her nails were painted a seafoam green and were long and pointed. She had let her hair grow long over the years. She kept it up in buns using senbons to keep them in place. She liked making people think she was weak simply because she looked well put together. In the eyes of many femininity was seen as weakness. It worked to her advantage many times and she loved proving them wrong.

She was finally being comfortable and confident in her body after so many years and she'd be damned to cover it up.

Moving this time would be hard. She was making good money, but damnit if this part of the fire country didn't get cold in the winter. Sakura sighed as she contemplated where to travel to next. She decided to go out to eat tonight since it might be her last night in town. Locking the door to the little house she rented Sakura walked toward the town. It wasn't anything spectacular, but it had some real hidden gems when it came to food. She picked her favorite tempura restaurant and walked in.

"Welcome back. Sit wherever you like."

She was greeted as usual and she sat in her usual booth in the back of the restaurant. When the server came by she ordered her food and a bottle of sake. As she sat and drank her sake a tall man walked in followed by a short brown haired teenager. Sakura turned her attention to the cup in her hands as the blond hair made memories she had long forgotten come back to the surface.

"Do you mind if I join you?" The voice was deep and serious. Sakura was sure he had all the girls drooling over him.

"If you insist." Sakura sat back and took in the sight of Naruto. Six years sure does change a person. His features were sharp and strong. His hair had gotten longer and he had gotten taller. The marks on his face now added to his features instead of distracted from them. He definitely had all the girls fawning over him.

"You are one hard person to find."

"I like it that way."

"You are so much like her, its funny. And man, you've gotten hot."

"Yeah, but I know how to hold my alcohol." Ignoring the complement, Sakura offered Naruto a sip, which he took. "So who's the kid guarding the door?"

"It's Konohamaru. I'm training him."

"He's short."

"So was I."

Sakura took another sip and sighed. She knew Naruto didn't come all this way just to chat. "Just get to the point. I need to pack tonight."

"Leaving again? I have good timing." Naruto gave her one of his wide, toothy smiles. She almost smiled back.

"Idiot."

"Tsunade sent me." At the mention of her name Sakura gripped her cup. Tsunade understood why Sakura had left. She promised not to force her back until she was ready, and she wasn't ready. "Some things have happened recently."

"What things?"

Naruto leaned back in the booth and took a deep breath. It was at that time that the server appeared with the food Sakura had ordered. She placed the dishes on the table and quickly left obviously sensing the tension.

"We've spent the past few years looking for all of Orochimaru's underground compounds. Well some were compounds, others were just small housing facilities. He had them all over the place and they were damn hard to find. But recently we found one of his labs."

Sakura lifted her eyes and stared at Naruto. He looked tense. "What did they find?"

"I was there when we found it. The place looked like something you'd see in nightmares. It was mostly abandoned, but there were only two people there; an old man and a boy. The old man was given orders to care for the boy and not let him unless given permission."

"What did Orochimaru threaten him with?"

"It was actually Kabuto, and he told him if he left he would turn his wife and children into test subjects."

"That asshole." Anyone would rather wish death on their family than be subjected to Kabuto's tests.

"I couldn't agree more." Naruto took the sake bottle and lifted it to his lips. He spoke before taking a sip. "Sakura, you're not asking me the important question."

"Who was the boy?"

Naruto put the bottle on the table and lowered his head. "You know about Yamato, right."

The cup that Sakura was holding in her hands shattered at his words.

"Naruto-sensi?" Konohamaru walked up to the booth, obviously concerned by her display of anger.

"It's okay. Go wait outside." Naruto smiled at him. It seemed to put the boy at ease as he walked outside.

"Tsunade wants you to come back to teach him. She feels, and I agree, that you would make a good teacher."

With the cup broken, Sakura grabbed the edge of the table. It started to protest under her grip. "Have Kakashi or Yamato do it."

"Kakashi won't take another team, and Yamato is back on the Black Ops team."

"Sai then."

"Sakura, seriously?"

"Why not you then."

"I have a student already."

"Why me?"

"He doesn't know anything. He's lost and confused. He needs someone who will be patient with him and who understands. He has no one, and we both know the results of that."

Sakura let go of the table and sighed. She picked up the sake bottle and drank what was left. When she got up to leave Naruto moved to get up as well, but Sakura stopped him with her hand.

"Don't follow me."

"Need time to think? We leave tomorrow night just so you know."

As Sakura approached the door she turned to look at Naruto. "Are you sure it's him?"

"I saw him Sakura. There is no doubt."

* * *

Sakura spent the night in her little house packing. There really wasn't much to pack. She traveled light. As she stuffed things into her pack she opened a small pocket on the side of the pack. Inside was a small photo album containing only pictures of Team 7 over the years. Sakura lingered on the image of Sasuke.

"Fuck."

If there was a chance to right all of the wrongs she had committed in the past she knew she had to take it. Maybe then she could start the process of forgiving herself.

"Guess I'm going home."

* * *

**Author's Note: At the time of posting this (2/2013) I have written two additional chapters. I've been re-reading and editing this for quite some time now. It's been a long, long time since I've written something that isn't a one-shot. In my head I don't see this being an epic like my previous discontinued story. I learned a lot from writing that, more specifically to not let the story stray from my original end goal. **

**I am kinda bummed that I ended up writing so much dialogue, but whatever. That's how it came out. **

**Let me know what you think and I'll post the next chapter soon. **

**Thanks for reading :)**


	2. Child

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If I did Kakashi would be for my eyes only. **

**Spoilers: AU. The truth has been twisted to meet my needs, as all truths should be! **

**Warnings: No beta. Language. Spoilers regarding Yamato and his heritage. **

**Title: Child**

* * *

Early the next morning Sakura grabbed her pack and set out to find Naruto. It didn't take her long to locate him and Konohamaru. They were currently engaged in a sparring match not far from her now former house.

Sakura set her pack on the ground and watched them spar. From what she could remember of Konohamaru she could tell that he had greatly improved. At one point he even tried to use Rasengan against Naruto.

Naruto it seemed had also improved, but not in the way she had expected. There was a grace to his movements. As a pre-teen his movements were aggressive, at times sloppy and driven by emotions. Now she could see that his movements were thought out. There was no wasted energy and just watching his was sight to behold. She could also see that he was holding back slightly. He wasn't trying to pummel Konohamaru, instead he was pushing him to improve. Sakura could tell that just as Konohamaru was about to get the upper hand Naruto would step it up and get the upper hand again. Konohamaru was getting better without even knowing it.

"So Sakura are you coming back with us?"

"Looks like it."

"Good. Everyone will be so excited to see you."

Sakura didn't say anything. She had always wondered what become of all her old friends. "So do you always spar with a clone watching?"

The clone smiled but never took his eyes off the sparing match. "It helps me learn and helps me teach him."

Sakura could only smile at how much Naruto had grown, both physically and intellectually. God, she never thought she would be thinking that.

"BAKA!" The real Naruto yelled at Konohamaru as he did Sexy no Jutsu. At least somethings don't change.

* * *

"Tsunade-sama I can't breathe."

"Shut up, and yes you can."

Sakura had to admit it felt good to be hugged by her. It was like getting a hug from your mother. Once Tsunade let her go, Sakura went and gave Shizune a hug. She was crying; always the sensitive one. She gave a quick hug to Yamato and a wave to Kakashi.

Sakura didn't want the conversation to shift to her. If she could avoid talking about where she had been the last few years then maybe should avoid thinking about her reasons for leaving. It wasn't that she didn't care about the people in the room, she did, she just wasn't ready to talk about herself. If anyone in the room would understand her feelings and predicament it was Tsunade.

"Tsunade-sama, tell me why I came back to take on a student."

Sakura sat on one of the couches in the Hokage office, while Tsuande grabbed a file and followed her. The others in the room followed as well. Naruto sat next to Sakura, while Yamato sat with Tsunade and Kakashi stood by a window.

"I'm sure Naruto told you where we found him." Sakura nodded as Tsunade passed the file to her. "He's not very social. It seems his only interaction was with the old man. To his credit the geezer tried to teach him as much as he could about the outside world he never saw. The kid has good manners and can read. The geezer brought him books."

"He never went outside?"

Naruto turned and answered her question. "When we brought him outside we had to blindfold him. The light hurt his eyes. He was paler than Sai, if you can believe that. The sounds and smells overwhelmed him. He was so scared."

"How is he now?"

Tsunade leaned back on the couch as she answered. "He doesn't need the blindfold anymore. He is very withdrawn and unsure around crowds. But he is curious and we think he has potential to be a decent shinobi. He learns fast."

"Has he asked any questions?"

"Not yet."

"But he will." Kakashi turned and gave her a knowing looking that changed as she looked at him. There was a sadness in his eye, one she was sure was meant for her and only her. Sakura decided to ignore it.

"Does he remember anything about-" she waved her hands in the air as she thought of what words to use, "-how he was born?"

Yamato cleared his throat before answering. "I don't have any memories from the past. All of my memories are ones I lived. I'm not tormented by past memories, or nightmares of things I haven't experienced. I don't think I'm any different from anyone else, except for my, how should I say this, lineage."

That relieved Sakura. Last thing she needed was to deal with deep psychological issues she was not prepared for. She wasn't prepared to answer any questions surrounding a childhood he didn't live, or the deaths of people he didn't know. "Where is he now?"

"At the Academy. Iruka is evaluating him and will provide us with the report. He's been staying with Naruto, but that arrangement can't continue for other reasons."

Tsunade gave Naruto a quick glance that was probably not meant for Sakura to see. She would have to inquire about those reasons and that look later.

"Look Sakura, what we need is for him to feel safe here. He is a member of Leaf, but we also need him to be brought up to speed with the rest of the shinobi his age. Once I feel he's competent I'll put him on a team, but until then he is all yours."

From what was being left unsaid she assumed that the boy would be living with her. Sakura knew that if this kid had talent then there was no way for the village to ignore that. They had another potential prodigy on their hands. But depending on the boys mental state Sakura would progress at a pace she decided. If ultimately the boy wasn't cut out to be a shinobi she was prepared to argue that case as well, even if it meant going against the wishes of her superiors. She would not be responsible for another damaged boy being pushed ahead before he was ready. "Okay I can handle that. Is my parent's house still empty?"

"It's just as you left it." Tsunade answered. When Sakura left the village she asked that the house be left alone so that when, and if, Sakura ever decided to return it would waiting for her.

Sakura grabbed his file and looked at Tsunade. She nodded letting Sakura know she could take it and bring it back later. When Sakura looked at the folder she noticed it wasn't labeled. "What's his name?"

At her question everyone looked uncomfortable and started avoiding eye contact. It was Naruto who finally turned to her.

"We asked him and he told us he didn't have one. So right now he has no name."

Sakura closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She mouthed the word 'fuck'. Of course the kid would have no name. That would just be too easy. Kabuto wouldn't of given him a name because he didn't care. He existed, in the eyes of Kabuto, for one reason and one reason only.

"Well that's just great. I guess I better go get this no named, untrained, potential basket case of a ninja from the Academy."

As Sakura turned to walk out she could tell Kakashi was laughing silently from the window. Of course _he_ would find the humor in her sarcasm.

* * *

When Sakura arrived at the Academy she couldn't help but feel nostalgic. Even though some of the buildings had been rebuilt the overall feeling of the place still remained the same. She couldn't really say the same thing about the rest of the village. The vast majority of had to be re-built after it was destroyed by Pain. She was sure if she walked by the parts that managed to remain in tack some feelings of nostalgia would come back. Maybe once she walked into her house she would start to feel at home.

As she approached the Head Master's office she smiled when she saw that it said "Umino Iruka". She knocked lightly and opened the door when she was invited in.

The office was small, but unbelievably inviting and warm. There was a desk, currently covered in files and there were two chairs for visitors. The walls were covered in pictures of students and drawings that ranged from childish to very detailed. Iruka himself looked exactly as she remembered. The years had been very good to him.

"Iruka-sensi, it is so good to see you again."

"Sakura-san, welcome back. Please have a seat."

Sakura sat down in one of the chairs as Iruka took a seat on the other side of the desk.

"I don't mean to be rude, but what can you tell me about him?"

Iruka grabbed a sheet of paper off his desk and handed it to her. "I just finished making copies of the report for everyone. He has talent, just lacks the knowledge. He seems to have trouble understanding how to manipulate chakra, but I think it's due to a lack to experience. Sometimes it's harder to grasp the concept as one gets older because they spend too much time questioning the skill instead following their instincts. Naruto gave him some chakra lessons and I did today as well. With proper, consistent instruction he should do just fine."

Sakura nodded as she scanned the report. He was able to pick up taijutsu quickly, and his weapon handling skills were also high. It seemed that charka control and execution would be his challenge.

"Where is he now?"

"He's out back doing target practice."

Sakura got up and headed for the door. Before leaving the office she asked, "Does he remind you of him?"

She heard Iruka sigh at her question. "I tried to remove those thoughts from my mind as I evaluated him, but in all honesty, I was surprised at the similarities."

* * *

Sakura watched him from a distance as he threw the kunai at a target, walk over and pull them out of the tree and tried again. Each time he repeated the practice his aim got better. His form improved and his throwing speed increased.

He was truly talented.

Sakura grabbed a few shuriken and senbons from a target nearby as she approached him. When he finally heard her approach he turned to look at her.

Sakura almost dropped what she holding. It was his eyes. He had the same eyes. Dark and intense. They gave nothing away. Everything else was similar, but also different. He was very pale, but Sakura could see that it was due to the lack of sun exposure. He would get a little darker, but not by much. His natural complexion was fair. His hair was black and long, longer than _he_ ever let it get. His bangs were long and swept to the side. His hair also didn't stand up in the back, instead if fell straight down and covered his neck. It was long enough for Sakura to braid if she wanted. Even with the differences in hair and complexion there was no doubt who he looked like. He had the same nose, lips and even the way he stood was the same. Even at the age of 10 this boy could break hearts all across the village. He was already breaking hers.

"Hello. My name is Haruno Sakura and I will be your sensei for the time being."

"Hello Haruno-sensei." The boy bowed his head at her. Sakura didn't really know how to respond. The sound of his voice, and the way he said his words tore at her heart. Although his actions and the way he addressed her was not something she had ever experienced it was all eclipsed by his voice.

"You don't have to bow." Sakura went to stand next to him and handed him the shuriken and senbon she was holding. Distraction, she needed a distraction. "Here try throwing these."

The boy placed the kunai on the floor and took the items she handed him. He took a moment to touch and maneuver each one in his hands before getting into position to throw them. Sakura took note of how he studied the items. She needed to start thinking with her head and not her heart.

'Smart kid. Most others would just throw them before figuring out how to handle them.' On his first try with the shuriken he hit the target, he got close with the senbons.

"Impressive."

"Thank you." Without looking at her he walked up to the target and started pulling out the weapons.

"Did they tell you that you will also be living with me?"

"I heard."

"Well since we will be forming a student teacher relationship I think it's about time we give you a name." Sakura watched his reaction carefully. At the mention of a name he hesitated slightly as he gripped a senbon. Did he know something she didn't want him to know yet? "Do you have a preference?"

"Not really."

"What were you called up until this point?"

"Boy."

"Well that won't do. Do you have any ideas?" Sakura watched as the twirled a shuriken in his hands. She recognized the nervous, embarrassed habit. At least that was different. She may have screamed if he turned his head to the side and hid behind his hair

"Shin."

"Shin. That's nice. Why did you pick that?"

"It's short for shinobi."

Although not really original, Sakura would respect his choice. It could have been worse. She smiled her biggest, brightest smile at him. "I like it. Shin, let's go get your things from Naruto's house."

"Okay." As they walked out of the practice yard Sakura smiled at the slight blush on his face.

* * *

Sakura had to let Shin lead the way as she realized she had no idea where Naruto lived anymore. As they walked every now and then someone would do a double take. In all her travels she had yet to meet another person with pink hair, so she was pretty sure everyone knew who she was.

When they arrived at the house she was pleasantly surprised. The house was small, but had a lovely garden around the front. There were chairs arranged under a tree along with a small table. It was a perfect place to sit, eat and talk. The house was also located as far removed from everything else as possible, while still being inside the village walls.

When Sakura knocked she was expecting Naruto to open the door, instead Hinata greeted her. She was dressed in her traditional black pants, a long sleeve purple shirt and her fishnet undershirt. Her hair was still long, shiny and beautiful.

"Sakura-san! Welcome home!"

As soon as Hinata hugged her Sakura knew why Shin couldn't stay with them even if it wasn't obvious to everyone else.

"It's good to be back. I'm just here so that Shin can get his things."

At the mention of Shin Hinata nodded and smiled at him. "Yes of course. Why don't you and Shin have some tea, Naruto should be back soon."

Hinata lead them into the kitchen. The house was pleasant and airy. The furniture was all white with orange and purple pieces here and there to add color. She knew Hinata was the decorator. When Sakura entered the kitchen she could tell this was the room they spent the majority of their time.

She sat at the table next to Shin as Hinata grabbed some cups and the tea kettle from the stove. As Hinata approached Sakura noted that Shin arranged the cups and other items on the table to make room for the kettle. At least she wouldn't have to worry about his manners.

"It's so good to see you again Sakura-san. Please tell me what you've been up to."

"Oh it's nothing spectacular. I just traveled around, saw parts of the Fire Country I never got to see or enjoy before. Come to think of it, it was wonderful."

As she shared a laugh with Hinata, Sakura noted how Shin was studying her as he sipped his tea. He hadn't really looked at her that way until just then. She would have to ask about that later, since she had more pressing things to discuss.

"How about you and Naruto?"

Hinata blushed, but not as much as she used to. She had most definitely grown up. "Well we got married a few years ago. He wanted you to come, but we didn't know where you were."

"Sorry. I'm sure you looked gorgeous."

"I'll show you pictures sometime of Naruto in formal wear."

With the conversation taking the direction she was hoping for Sakura smiled wide and then turned to Shin. "This conversation might get a bit boring. If you want feel free to pack some of your things."

Shin nodded as he got up and walked to his room. Sakura made sure he was well out of the immediate vicinity before turning back to Hinata.

"How far along are you?"

Hinata gasped at the question before putting her tea cup down. "I should have known you would figure it out quickly. You are one of the best medical nins. I'm only few weeks along."

"Who else knows?"

"Naruto of course, the Hokage, Shizune, Kakashi and now you."

"Keep it that way. There are still those out there who would do anything to get their hands on Naruto, or anything related to him."

Sakura had encountered varies people during her travels that blamed Naruto for their own misfortunes. Some were merchants who had lost their money due to the war and instead of rebuilding decided to seek revenge on Naruto. Some were shinobi's from other villages who were upset at Naruto for some imagined indiscretion. Once those people would find out who Sakura was they would try to seek their revenge on her, which never ended well for them. But she knew there were others out there still. There will always be others.

"I know, that's why we moved out here. To keep it secret and keep me hidden."

Sakura took a sip of the tea as she worked up the courage to ask her next question. "What are you two going to do with the Kyuubi?"

For the next few minutes Hinata explained their plan. The Kyuubi, Kurama, had taught Naruto and her seals that could be used to transfer him to their child. The process would result in the child being able to access Kurama's chakra in the same way Naruto does. The child would be a vessal similar to Killer Bee instead of Naruto or Gaara. The child wouldn't have to get into a power struggle with Kurama. Apparently he had reassured both Naruto and Sakura that he would be there for the child as much as he could. Sakura didn't interrupt Hinata as she spoke, but once she was done there was one lingering question.

"What will happen to Naruto?"

"I am prepared to give my life for this child."

Sakura turned and looked at Naruto. Her initial instinct was to argue with him. To tell him that he has to live. That everyone had worked so hard to keep him alive. But when she saw the look in his eyes and the determination in his stance she knew she had no argument. He would give his life for the baby. Looking at Hinata she saw the same determination.

Sakura, herself, could understand the feelings even though she knew she would never have them. Somewhere along the line she had lost her maternal drive. Children were something she knew she would never have, and that was actually okay with her. It wasn't that she didn't want to ruin her body, her body could be ruined at any point as a shinobi. It was just that her internal clock wasn't ticking anymore. It had been when she was younger, but that desired died many years ago.

"I understand." She turned to Hinata and gave her brightest smile. "Do you mind if I check the baby?"

Hinata smiled back, "Of course."

Sakura stood and kneeled in front of Hinata. She placed her hands on Hinata's stomach and slowly started to gather chakra in her hands. She smiled up at Hinata when she found the baby.

"Oh, Hinata. It's wonderful."

"Nee, Sakura-chan. Do you think you can be there when the baby is born?"

"Of course I'll be there." Sakura took a quick estimate on when she suspected the baby would be born.

"Haruno-sensei?" No one seemed to have noticed when Shin walked up behind Naruto. Sakura was panicked for a moment about how much he had heard, but Shin seemed like he could keep a secret. Who was he going to tell anyway? She would just make sure to emphasize that this was not something to be shared.

Sakura could see the curiosity in his face. She decided to take advantage of the situation and use it as one of his first chakra lessons. When Sakura nodded Shin walked past Naruto and kneeled next to her in front of Hinata. "How can you feel the baby when it's inside her?"

Sakura smiled at the question. She took a moment to explain how to sense chakra, making note not to dumb down any of the information. He was smart and if she handicapped him now it would only hinder him later. Sakura gave Hinata a glance before proceeding. "If Hinata-san agrees we can try and see if you can sense the baby too?"

Shin gave Sakura a look of pure fear, but Hinata reacted first. "Don't be afraid. You can't hurt the baby. If you use too much chakra I can stop it, and I'm sure Sakura-san can as well. Right?"

Sakura nodded and smiled at Shin. He relaxed a bit. Sakura grabbed his hands and held them palms up in her own. "Gather the chakra in your hands first. Once you reach the appropriate level and control you can place them on Hinata."

Shin nodded and took a deep breath. He closed his eyes and concentrated. Sakura could feel the chakra pooling in his hands. It was a bit jumpy, but not too out of control. He was trying, and with practice he could improve. "Just a little more."

At her words he surged too much chakra and tsk-ed in response. At the sound Sakura glanced up at Naruto. He in turned looked at her. Neither one of them had heard that in years. The last time was probably when they were children. Sakura had to stop the memories from coming to the surface. Without a word she turned her attention back to Shin.

"A little more, go slow. There is no need to rush." This time around Shin had more control of his chakra and increased it slowly and smoothly. "Right there, stop."

Once he was at the correct level he opened his eyes and looked at Sakura. She waited for him to let her know when he was ready to proceed. A few seconds later Shin nodded slightly and Sakura placed his hands on Hinata's stomach.

"Do you feel Hinata-san's chakra?" Shin nodded and Hinata smiled. "Okay now focus. You should be able to sense a small glow in the background."

Shin looked at his hands and concentrated. After a few moments his mouth fell open and he looked up at Hinata. "It feels like almost like a small light. It's warm and pulsing. That's your baby?"

"Yes."

Shin looked back at his hands and lowered them as he stood up. The look on his face changed as we stood up. It was a mixture of anger and confusion. "I was never a baby like that." When he spoke Sakura heard the hurt in his voice.

"Hey…" Naruto moved forward and reached out to place his hand on Shin's shoulder, but Shin turned away from his hand.

"I finished packing Haruno-sensei. I'll wait for you outside. Thank you for letting me stay here Uzumaki-san, Naruto-san." Shin bowed quickly at Naruto and Hinata before walking out of the room.

"Shit." From her kneeling position Sakura placed her head in her hands. "He knows."

* * *

**Author's Note: Hopefully no one is really lost regarding Shin's origins. If you are, no worries I'll explain more in the next chapter. I do plan on elaborating more on Shin and the reasons behind him in future chapters. **

**I'm not really going to focus on Naruto and Hinata. They will play an important part in my story, but they will be mostly secondary characters. **


	3. Underneath

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If I did Kakashi would be my sancho. **

**Spoilers: AU. The truth has been twisted to meet my needs, as all truths should be! **

**Warnings: no beta. Language. Yamato spoilers. **

**Title: Underneath**

* * *

The walk to her house was quiet and slightly awkward. Sakura wasn't exactly sure how to talk to Shin about the things he knew, or the questions he had. When she had shown him where his room was he only nodded before locating a dresser and unpacking his clothes.

There were things she was not prepared to face. Questions she wasn't sure she could answer. She didn't want him to ask the questions she knew he wanted to ask; questions he needed to ask. She wouldn't lie to him. He didn't deserve lies, especially hers. She didn't want to tell him the truth, because the truth hurt. His truth was going to hurt.

Sakura had planned on killing time by dusting and buying groceries, but it seems like someone had come into the house the day before and took care of it all. It was probably Naruto. Maybe even Sai. It sure as hell wasn't Kakashi, although the discovery of an Icha Icha book on her nightstand made her question that opinion.

Signing Sakura left the kitchen and headed towards the back porch. It was past noon already and there was still a lot of time left in the day. As she walked through the living room she spotted a framed picture of her graduating academy class hanging on the wall. The picture brought back so many memories.

As she looked at the picture Sakura sensed Shin walk into the room. Sakura turned and looked at him. "Are you okay?"

Shin took a moment to contemplate his response. He looked at Sakura in the face before dropping his gaze and shaking his head.

Sakura moved toward the back porch where she had spotted a bench. "Follow me. It's nice out back."

For some time they both just sat in silence. The silence wasn't uncomfortable, but Sakura could sense the tension that was slowly growing under the surface. Sakura took the moment to observe Shin. Sakura watched as Shin closed his hands into fists and looked straight ahead. He was struggling with himself. Although he had moments where he showed emotion, those were usually moments where he was caught off guard. She could tell that it wasn't that he tried to remain emotionless; rather he wasn't comfortable showing emotion. He didn't know how to express himself.

"Jii-san told me I had no mother or father. That I was a living copy of someone Kabuto wanted. He didn't know why. He said all he knew about that person was their name; Sasuke. When I stayed with Naruto-san I asked if I could look through their books. I found a picture of him and his team."

His voice was only a whisper when he spoke. Sakura sighed. It could be worse she thought, but not by much.

"Is what Jii-san said true?"

Sakura turned to look at Shin's profile. This was what she was dreading. She would answer honestly, but should she elaborate or be vague. She had an obligation to answer his questions, but she also needed to make sure she didn't overdue it with the information. She wasn't sure if either one of them was ready for it.

"Yes. Kabuto had knowledge on how to create clones, or living copies of people. Kabuto worked for a person who wanted Sasuke."

"I was a backup."

Sakura watched as Shin's knuckles turned white. He was smart and quick. She knew subtly would not be lost on him. As Sakura looked from his hands to his face she couldn't help but feel sad. She needed him to understand that none of that mattered anymore. He needed to know that someone cared.

"It doesn't matter anymore. You're home now. You can make your life be whatever you want it to be."

Shin looked down at Sakura's hand before lifting his gaze to her face. He seemed to study her face for a moment. "You look like the girl on his team. So does Naruto-san.

"We were Team 7. Both Naruto and Sasuke were orphans. When we were placed together as a team they hated each other, but eventually they treated each other like brothers. We were like family. I did my best to keep up with them."

Sakura smiled at the warm memory. Things were so innocent when they were 12. She was in love, Naruto was in love, and Sasuke…he needed a friend. She was proud of the fact that she was able to be there. She only wished she had the maturity at that time to see how much Sasuke was suffering. She didn't want Shin to continue further. There would be other times to talk about Sasuke.

Sakura stood up turned and pulled Shin up from the bench. "Look we have plenty of time to talk about the past, but for right now I want to focus on the present." Taking a step back Sakura made Shin spread his arms so she can get a good look at his clothes. His clothes were visibly old, and they seem vaguely familiar. "Is that your shirt?"

"No, Naruto-san gave it to me."

"Show me what other clothes you have."

It didn't take Shin long to show her all he owned, and the majority of it were hand me downs. They were covered in holes and were drab. Some looked as though they should have been thrown away long ago. No wonder Naruto gave him a shirt. None of it would work. He needed new clothes.

Sakura thanked her lucky stars that she had saved up all her money, because she knew she was going to be spending a lot of it on Shin. He needed clothes, weapons, and shoes. When she took him to pick out clothes she wasn't surprised when he favored the darker clothes. She let him pick out whatever he wanted only giving her opinion if it didn't look good, or would get in the way of his training.

It was during one of his many trips to the changing room that Sakura again noticed the glances she was getting. As with before she thought it was because they knew who she was or because of the way she was dressed, but when Shin would approach her the glances turned into whispers and nods. She was pretty sure he noticed the looks as well.

Shin ended up deciding on a pair of dark blue shorts and a black, plain long sleeve shirt. He tended to lean towards the form fitting clothes. Sakura made sure to buy multiples of each item, including some that were a size bigger for when he started to outgrow them. When she approached the registrar the cashier quickly rang her up. Sakura could tell she wanted to say something, but it wasn't until Sakura went to pay that she finally spoke.

"You're Haruno Sakura, right?"

"Yes."

"Oh, okay. Well it's good to have you back in Konoha."

Sakura took her change and handed the bags to Shin. As she turned to walk out she overheard the cashier talking to one of the other customers.

"See I told you it was her. Which means that the boy…"

"She left to hide his birth obviously."

Sakura couldn't stop the short, loud laugh that escaped her as she walked out of the store. Shin turned and give her strange look, but she just waved him off. She had heard some crazy rumors during her travels but this one topped them all.

"Let's get you some weapons."

"Mind if I join you?"

Sakura turned and smiled at Kakashi. As he approached them she took the time to really look at him. He hadn't changed much. He still had the same lazy demeanor, grey hair and welcoming smile (even if all she could see what his eye). She did notice that he was getting a small wrinkle around his eye, but that only made his smile look warmer. It didn't distract from his overall attractiveness.

"Shin, allow me to introduce Hatake Kakashi. He was my sensei many years ago."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Hatake-san."

"Sakura-chan, when you say it like that it makes me feel old."

"You are old." Sakura turned and started to walk in the direction of the weapons shop leaving Shin and Kakashi behind. The teasing made her happy. It almost felt as if no time had passed between them at all.

Kakashi turned and smiled at Shin, "Be careful with this one, she can be very mean. And she has quite a temper."

As the trio walked down the street Kakashi quickened his pace to walk next to Sakura. "Is he always that formal?"

"Yes he is, and there is nothing wrong with that." Sakura made sure to throw Shin a smile over her shoulder as she spoke. Her smile only grew bigger when she noticed the slight blush spread across his nose.

Once inside the shop Sakura again let Shin roam and try anything he wanted. He seemed to have an affinity to shuriken, which was quickly eclipsed when he spotted the katanas. For someone who had no exposure to shinobi's and weapon's he was assimilating quite well. It made Sakura wonder if being a shinobi was something that was engrained in a person. She wasn't sure how much Shin knew about the outside world before actually walking out of the lab, but she had yet to see any hesitation from him regarding training, weapons, or shinobi's in general. He seemed to just absorb all of it. As Sakura observed Shin she noticed Kakashi come up behind her and invaded her personal space.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Don't worry I can smell the poison from here." Sakura could hear the smile in his voice, but his tone quickly changed. "Have you noticed the looks the two of you are getting?"

"Yes. They think he's my secret love child." From the corner of her eye she saw Kakashi lower his head and shake it in disbelief.

"This might not be good for him."

Sakura turned to face Kakashi. It was only then that she realized just how close he had gotten. He smelled fresh, like a forest after rain. "What do you suggest?"

Kakashi took a step back and motioned to Shin. "As much as I hate to do this, do you mind if I try something?"

Sakura shook her head and watched as he approached Shin. She trusted Kakashi with whatever resolution he had decided upon. He never steered her wrong before. After a few brief words between Kakashi and Shin they walked over to the small clothing section where Kakashi pointed out the masks. It made her a little sad to know that hiding his face may be the only way for him to avoid any additional hardships.

As she watched the two of them she couldn't help but think about her interactions with Kakashi. It was obvious he was noticing her physical development, and she could confidently say that she had also noticed him. She trusted him with her life and she knew he did as well. No one else knew her quite as well as he did. He knew her weakness and her strengths. As a teenager she hadn't noticed his attractiveness, but now as an adult she was noticing. It had been quite some time since she'd been with a man. Was it worth the possibility of ruining her relationship with him just for a moment of quick pleasure?

Although she doubted he would be quick.

"Haruno-sensei, are you alright?"

"Yes. Sorry. Do you need help?" Sakura could feel that her face was getting hot and she knew for a fact Kakashi noticed.

"Which mask do you think I should get?" Shin held up two masks. One that would only cover the bottom half of his face, much like Kakashi's, and the other would cover all of his face and hair with the exception of his eyes.

"Get the half face one." Although covering his hair may help, she couldn't bring herself to let him cover it.

Shin took quite a long time trying out weapons. Every now and then he would ask Sakura for assistance figuring out how to handle a particular weapon. She made sure to exaggerate her handling of some, to which she was pleased he cracked a small smile. In the end Shin picked a short blade katana and a dozen of the standard weapons all shinobi had. Sakura let him know that she would hold on to the katana until she felt he was properly prepared to handle it correctly. She saw that he wanted to protest, but said nothing.

It was in those small moments that she saw Sasuke, and they scared her.

* * *

On the way home Kakashi bought them takeout and invited himself over for dinner. Sakura didn't protest as she wanted to talk to him about Shin. She needed a second opinion regarding what to tell him about Sasuke and just his overall opinion on Shin. It had nothing to do with spending more time with him. That was just an added bonus.

As they sat around the table and ate, Sakura and Kakashi fell into a comfortable banter. She would call him old, he would say that hurt his feelings, she would call him a liar and so forth. A couple of times Sakura noticed the small smile that Shin would have.

"Kakashi don't you think it's time you show me that ugly mole you have. Or was it horse teeth?"

At the mention of Kakashi's face Shin lowered his chopsticks and stared at Kakashi. Sakura couldn't stop the huge smile from spreading on her face as she could tell that Shin was imagining the ugly features on Kakashi's face. It reminded her of when she was young and they tried to see Kakashi without his mask. Those were happy days.

"Hatake-san—"

"Call me Kakashi, everyone else does." Sakura swore Kakashi winked at her, but she just wrote it off as blinking.

"Okay, Kakashi-san, I understand why it would benefit me to wear one, but why do you wear one?"

"Sometimes a little mystery can be of benefit to a shiobi. Take Sakura for example."

Kakashi pointed his hand at Sakura as if presenting her to Shin for the first time. Shin turned his attention to Sakura, but she could tell he wasn't really sure what he was supposed to notice or take as an example.

"Notice how she is dressed. She is wearing expensive, well tailored clothing. Her hair and make-up is impeccable. Her hands look delicate, particularly her nice long nails. If you didn't know she was a shinobi you would think she was the daughter of someone with great power or money; someone who didn't know a hard day's work if it fell on her."

Sakura watched as Shin looked from her hair to her nails. He wasn't looking at her in the same way a man would, he was studying her.

"People, I'm sure, have made the mistake of assuming Sakura was weak simply because of the way she looked." Kakashi once again gave her the look he had given her earlier that day. This time Sakura was ready and she was able to stop her blush. "That would be their biggest, and possibly last, mistake and her advantage. For example, did you know Sakura could destroy every bone in your body with one punch and then heal them all back together?"

Shin's eyes became as wide as plates as he quickly turned and looked at Sakura again. She could see the questions forming in his head. He didn't understand how she could be able to do the things Kakashi mentioned. She knew Shin trusted them both.

"You have to look underneath the underneath."

She saw the same confusion in his face that she probably had on her face the first time Kakashi had said the same words to her. If only she truly understood the meaning behind those words then. She thought she had figured it out, but looking back on it now she was wrong. So very wrong.

"Tomorrow morning I'll take you to one of the training fields and you can figure out what me means; unless you want to wait?"

"No, tomorrow morning is good."

Sakura wouldn't be so concerned about his enthusiasm if he had been raised in the village, but that was not the case. It made her worry. She would have to take extra care to ensure he became a shinobi for the right reasons. She didn't want him to walk down an oh so familiar path.

Once they were finished eating Sakura had to usher Shin to his room since he insisted on helping clear the table. Once she was sure he was asleep and everything had been cleared away Sakura pulled out the file she had taken from Tsunade. Kakashi sat across from her at the table and turned his chair sideways as he pulled out an orange book.

"I thought they weren't publishing those anymore?"

"Naruto took over as author. He's surprisingly good."

Sakura shook her head as she opened the file folder. The first documents were pictures of the lab. She almost gasped. How could any child be raised in this type of environment and still be sane?

"What do you think if him?"

At her question Kakashi lowered the book and tilted his head towards her. "I have no doubt he has talent. But his enthusiasm worries me. He has no fear."

"But then again he was raised in this place." Sakura lifted a picture of a hospital operating room that had obviously been modified. All the tools and surfaces in the room were rusted over. There were jars containing, who knows what, lined along the wall. The place was terrifying.

"That is one of the reasons you were selected. He needs someone to be warm to him."

Sakura understood what he was trying to say. Shin needed to know that someone cared. She wasn't sure just how well the old man took care of him, but there must have been a lack of affection and interaction between the two.

If someone had asked her yesterday if she could be that person to him she would have said no. But after spending the whole day with him she couldn't help but be drawn in. For all of the good manners and strong front he presented she could see he was still emotionally stinted. She not only needed to teach him how to be a shinobi, but also how to be a person. A whole person. She wasn't expecting him to be an open book like Naruto, but she also didn't want him to bottle everything away like Sasuke. She wanted to help him find that middle ground that was both comfortable and healthy for him.

"How was he with Naruto?"

"Nervous, but Hinata worked miracles. She reassured him. Apparently yesterday he asked about going to the library so he could read up on our history."

"I'll have Sai show him around. Shin needs to be exposed to more people."

"Sakura, does Sai know what happened to Sasuke?"

Sakura lifted her gaze from the files to Kakashi. He too was looking at her, measuring her. She knew Kakashi knew all of the details surrounding Sasuke's death. Although he was not present for the moment, he saw the aftermath. He learned the details later, that was one of the benefits that came with being an advisor to the Hokage. But the details around his death were known by the members of Team 7 and the Hokage. Sakura herself knew for a fact that no one else from the Rookie 9 knew the details. Naruto had promised her he would never tell anyone the full details and she knew Tsunade and Kakashi would never discuss it with anyone. Sakura sure as hell wasn't going to tell anyone. No one needed to know how badly they had failed to save Sasuke; how badly she had failed.

"No he doesn't know the details."

Kakashi said nothing, he just nodded his head and went back to his book. They continued to read in silence that way for quite some time. When Sakura kicked Kakashi out it was past midnight. He hesitated for a split second on her doorstep before saying good night and leaving. As he walked away from her house Sakura felt a bit lonely. She hadn't felt that way in a really long time, not since before she left village.

* * *

**Author's Note: Yeah I spent two chapters to write about one day. So kill me. I don't care. I will provide further details surround Sasuke's last days in future chapters. Don't ask me about the details surround his death now as it is a major part of my story. **


	4. Hawk

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If I did Kakashi would be a stripper.**

**Spoilers: AU. The truth has been twisted to meet my needs, as all truths should be! **

**Warnings: Spoilers Chapter 352, Episode 118 (barely)**

**Title: Hawk**

* * *

The morning air was cool and fresh. There was still some dew on the grass as she stepped around the open meadow. Sakura could tell by the clouds in the sky that today would be a breathtakingly beautiful day. She raised her arms above her head and leaned back a bit. She sighed as her back cracked and her abs were stretched.

As Sakura lowered her arms she noticed Shin was looking around the meadow as well. He was wearing his new clothes and had tied a weapons pouch to his thigh. He had his hair tied back at the nape of his neck and was wearing the mask. The overall look could be pretty in intimidating to other people his age.

"Well we should get started." Sakura pulled out a small set of bells from her pocket and started to pin it to the waist of her dress. "I thought this was the dumbest test ever when I first took it, but it's effective."

After securing the bells Sakura walked up to a small stump and placed the timer she had brought with her. "You have until noon to get the bells from me. If you fail to get them before noon…well we'll discuss that later."

"And if I get them?"

Sakura smirked at his cockiness. He had no way of knowing how much that reminded her of Sasuke. "What do you think is an appropriate reward?"

Sakura noticed Shin shifted his eyes to the side to avoid looking at her. He was embarrassed again. "Can you take me to the places you've traveled too?"

Stunned, that was how Sakura felt. She thought back to the time she sat with Hinata and briefly mentioned her travels. That was why he had looked at her funny. He wanted to travel and see things he may have only heard about.

"I can do that. But don't think for one minute I'll go easy on you because I feel sorry for you." Giving her brightest smile, Sakura turned the timer around so it faced Shin. "Time starts now."

* * *

By the time noon came around Sakura was tired, more tired than she expected. Shin took his time to analyze her moments. He adjusted accordingly and quickly to her attacks and defenses. Shin was still inexperienced and didn't have very many tricks up his sleeve though.

Unfortunately for him, Sakura was serious when she said she wasn't going to hold back. She would have to take care of his wounds before leaving the training field. She had used the poisoned senbons in her hair on him. The poison wasn't deadly; it was only supposed to make him sluggish. Sakura also put some chakra into some of her punches and kicks. She hadn't originally wanted to, but at one point Shin's fingers had brushed the bells and she had no choice.

Sakura grabbed a canteen and walked the field in search of her senbons. They were ornate and cute and she really didn't want to buy new ones. As she walked past Shin she handed him the canteen.

"Drink up. I'll heal your wounds in a second."

It didn't take long for Sakura to find her missing senbons. She remembered the general area in which she threw them. After placing them back in her hair she made her way back to Shin. As she approached him, Shin stood up and turned to her. He appeared tense.

"What's wrong?"

"You know about medicine?"

"Yes."

"So you're like Kabuto?"

"Is that what you think of me?" Sakura noted the way Shin lowered his eyes in embarrassment. She didn't take offense to what he said. She knew trust wasn't something that can be earned overnight, particularly for someone in his situation. What did she really expect? His only exposure to shinobi's before being rescued had been Kabuto. That was the measuring stick Shin used on all shinobi. She knew that would eventually change but for the time being she would have to be patient. Sakura decided that instead of defending herself with words that actions might serve her better.

"Come here and sit down."

Sakura kneeled down in the grass and waited as Shin stood in place looking at her. Sakura said nothing, just slowly drummed her fingers on her thigh. After a few moments Shin finally moved toward her and sat down cross legged in front of her.

"Is anything broken?"

"No."

"The senbons I used on you have poison on them. It's nothing life threatening so you don't have to worry, but I do have to remove it."

Sakura waited until Shin nodded in acknowledgement before gathering chakra and moving her hands to the cuts on his arm. Slowly she started to pool the poison and pull it out. She didn't need to save any of it so when she was done with one wound she tossed the poison onto the grass and moved on. It didn't escape her attention that Shin was completely focused on her.

"You have questions?"

Shin kept his eyes on her hands. "So this is what Kakashi-san meant when he said you can put someone back together again."

"Not exactly. I can heal wounds and remove poison, but not every wound can be healed. I'm not a god." Sakura watched as Shin absorbed her words. She had a pretty good idea of the thoughts going through his head.

"No one is a god, no matter how much they think they are. Kabuto was also a medic-nin and he went though some of the same training as me. But he was corrupted. You will encounter people like him. People who have gone through the same training as you but still become corrupted."

Sakura had finished healing Shin and he was rubbing his hands over his arms where the cuts had previously been. He nodded his head in understanding as he stood up and walked over to where he had left his pack. Sakura followed suit and also started to gather her things. She had started to regret her conversation. Maybe it was too heavy, too soon.

"Can a corrupted person change for the better?"

Sakura turned to Shin. He had his back to her and was looking at the pack in his hands. She could tell that this question must have been weighing heavy on him for some time. She was pretty sure that either Kabuto or the old man watching him had said something to him.

"Yes. It's not easy to do, and those people need the help of others, but it is possible." Sakura watched as the invisible weight was removed from his shoulders. It was a wonderful thing to watch and it made her all the happier. "As a matter of fact I'm taking you to meet one of those people now."

Sakura didn't wait for a response; she just started walking back toward the village. She waited until Shin jogged up next to her to continue. "I heard that you wanted to go to the library. Well this person spends a lot of his time there and he can help you find whatever book you want."

* * *

It didn't take long for Sakura to find Sai. He had a tendency to sit at the same table, which was located on the third floor next to a window. He claimed it provided proper lighting and eliminated distractions from the streets below. She thought it was just because he could spy on the people walking outside.

Sai seemed to sense her as she approached because he didn't once look up from his book as he closed it.

"I heard you were back ug—" He stopped talking as he lifted his head and turned to her. Sakura said nothing, she just continued to look at him and wait. "—uh, Sakura."

"Sai, allow me to introduce Shin. I was hoping you could show him around the library and help him find books." At the mention of his name Shin stepped forward and nodded his head to Sai, who returned the gesture. "Well, I have to go run some errands. I'll see you tonight Shin."

Sakura turned and walked away from the two dark haired shinobi. As she made her way to the staircase she turned down an empty aisle and stopped. She figured Sai would follow her.

"Sakura."

Sakura turned as he whispered her name. Anyone else who saw his face would think it void of emotion, but she knew better. The subtle shift of his eyebrows and the way his lips were parted slightly spoke volumes to her. He took a few steps and closed the distance between them. Sakura wasn't startled when she felt his warm hand on her cheek. It always amazed her how a simple touch from him was always so intimate.

"Sai, I don't think this is a good idea."

"I know. I just wanted to let you know that I won't be calling you ugly anymore." Sakura smiled at his sincere complement. It was not often he gave them and they always made her feel wonderful. "Our time has passed."

"Yes it has, but I just want you to know that you—"

Before Sakura could finish her sentence Sai leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. Sakura felt her heart start to race as his lips lingered next to her face. Memories flooded back and she felt her body start to get hot. She almost reached out to touch him. After what seemed like minutes she heard him slowly exhale.

"I know you don't have to say it. I won't touch you this way again." Sai took a few steps back away from her and looked at her face. She always admired that about him, he never looked at her body, always her face. He didn't make her feel cheap.

"I'll get back to Shin. I'll see you around Sakura."

With that he turned and walked away from Sakura. As Sakura continued on her way to the staircase she felt sad. Sad because she now understood how Sai must have felt when she left. He had obviously forgiven her, but she would have to apologize to him.

* * *

"Shishou, do you have time for me?"

Tsunade smiled as Sakura walked up to her desk. "Of course I do. Let's sit on the couches and you can update me on everything."

Sakura followed Tsunade to the couch. She sat in the middle of one couch and crossed her legs. Tsunade took the couch in front of her. She spread her arms out on the back of the couch and leaned her head back. She was obviously tired and Sakura started to wonder if maybe she should have waited a few days before coming to see her.

Tsunade lifted her head back up and opened her mouth to talk when Kakashi walked into the office. Sakura noted the slightly annoyed look Tsunade had and the way Kakashi quickly glanced at her exposed thigh.

"Am I interrupting something?"

He didn't wait for a response as he started walking towards them. As he was about to sit on the couch next to Sakura, Tsunade finally spoke up.

"Yes you are. Get out."

Sakura shifted her eyes to Kakashi who looked at Tsunade in disbelief. As an advisor to the Hokage Kakashi typically had access to all the information the Hokage had access to. Sakura could see that he had gotten use to have full access, particularly when it came to his own former students. Tsunade's dismissal of him hurt his pride.

"My apologizes." Without as much of a glance at either one of them Kakashi turned and walked out.

Tsunade groaned loudly as she once again to tossed her head back on the couch. "Sometimes he can be as sensitive as a woman."

Tsunade took a few deep breaths before once again sitting up straight. During that time Sakura let her mind wander to Kakashi. She was pretty sure he would confront her about this, but he would do it in a very Kakashi way. He will ask her questions or make assumptions in an attempt to gather the information he needed. Once he had a pretty good idea he would ask directly and would determine if he was correct or not based on her reaction. Dancing around the topic of interest and gather all of the pieces was one way to gather intel, and Sakura knew how to play that game.

"So Sakura, give me an update."

Sakura nodded as she pulled out a little notepad from a pocket on her dress.

* * *

The sun was just starting to set when Sakura decided to sit on the bench in her backyard. After leaving the Hokage's office, Sakura came home showered and made dinner. Now she had some free time to sit back and enjoy a nice cup of tea. Once Shin came home she would eat dinner with him.

She had thought Kakashi would have come by earlier, but it seemed he was buying his time. Maybe he would come home when Shin was here and their conversation would have to be more cryptic. He loved that kind of shit.

Sakura took a small sip of her tea. Her discussion with Tsunade had gone well. She gave her Shishiou an update on all that she knew. That had taken some time since she hadn't sent any updates to Tsunade for quite some time. The communication was always from Sakura to Tsunade and never the other way around. What she did with the information Sakura provided her was not of Sakura's concern.

Sakura did mention to Tsunade that Shin wanted to travel. Although he hadn't gotten the bells Sakura would still say he passed the test. The bells themselves weren't the test, they never were. Everything else was the test. Tsunade initially didn't want her to leave again, but when Sakura mentioned that she would be able to close up a loose end and confirm some intel Tsunade relented.

Sakura took another sip of her tea. As she lowered her cup she saw rather than heard Kakashi approach her. He walked through her small garden and took a seat next to her on the bench. Wordlessly Sakura held out her cup of tea to him, which he declined with a small wave of his hand. They sat this way for some time. Sakura could tell this was part of his plan. He wanted her to speak first so that he could gage the conversation and her assumptions. He didn't know she too knew how to play this game.

"How's Shin?"

Sakura raised the cup of tea to her lips to hide her smile. Not only did he crack first, but he started the conversation with a safe topic.

"Good."

"How was training this morning?"

"Good."

"Just good?"

"Yeah." She saw Kakahsi turn and look at her. When she turned to look back at him Sakura looked at him as if she had no idea why he looked so annoyed. She was winning. "What?"

Kakashi leaned in a little bit and sniffed. "Why do you smell like Sai?"

Sakura faked the looked of surprise on her face. She knew damn well she didn't smell like Sai. She had showered and was wearing completely different clothes. If he wanted to play dirty, she could too.

"I don't know what you mean. Besides it's none of your business." Sakura threw out her trap, now she just had to wait and see if he took the bait.

"I didn't know you two were so…familiar."

Sakura noted the way he shifted slightly in his seat. She saw the way he forced himself to continue to look at her. She ignored the faked reactions; the exaggerated shiver he had when he said 'familiar' and his forced smile.

"Again, none of your business."

Sakura sipped some more of her tea as Kakashi turned and focused on the garden. He shifted his weight in the seat a couple of times before sighing.

"What did you talk to Tsunade about?"

Sakura lowered her eyes and looked at the now empty tea cup in her hands. The action was meant as a way to stop the small smile from reaching her lips and eyes. The comment about Sai was meant as a distraction. She was supposed to be thinking about that and why Kakashi knew. Then once she was completely vulnerable he would strike with his real question.

She had a pretty good idea how he knew about Sai, he caught them. She didn't care. Hell she might tell him the truth about that later. He probably didn't really care about the details of her relationship with Sai since he probably also knew it was all in the past. No, what he wants to know is why he was asked to leave Tsunade's office today.

"Once again, none of your business."

"It's regarding my student—"

"I'm not your student anymore."

"Doesn't mean I don't care."

Sakura heard the front door of the house open, which meant Shin was home. Getting up from the bench she headed for the door. Before crossing the threshold she turned to look at Kakashi.

"Look my conversation with her was personal and private. If you want to stay for dinner you can."

Kakashi didn't turn to look at her when he spoke. "I hope you realize that any secret information you provide to Tsunade will be passed along to Naruto when he becomes Hokage."

Sakura wasn't stupid, she was fully aware of this. She was made aware of this many years ago before she left the village. The comment was meant to scare her, but all it did was make her angry.

"Is this a threat, because I don't appreciate it. It has been a long time since I've had to turn to someone for help because I was over my head. I had hoped you, of all people, would see that but I guess all you see is someone who looks like the girls in your books."

This time Kakashi did turn when he spoke to her. Sakura clearly noticed the look of shock on his face. She had never spoken to him in that manner before with that tone. He obviously didn't know how to handle the situation or her.

"Sakura, I wasn't implying—"

"If you'll excuse me Kakashi I have to go serve dinner. Good bye."

Sakura didn't wait for a reply, she simply walked through the door and headed for the kitchen. As she set the table, Sakura couldn't help but smile. If one were keeping score they would surely aware Sakura a point.

* * *

After several days Sakura and Shin were finally ready to start their travels. Sakura made sure that Shin had checked out some ninjutsu books from the library and after taking notes on the jutsus she wanted him to learn they set then focused on gathering the proper supplies. Sakura estimated that they would only be gone for 7 months. She promised Naruto that she would be present for the birth of his child and she was going to keep that promise.

As they approached the gates Sakura could see the excitement in Shin's walk. It was a little more bouncy and quick. Sakura had given him a map that was marked off with the places they would be traveling to. She didn't need the map, she had all of the Fire Country memorized.

In between stops Sakura would train with Shin. She planned to help him improve his jutsus and she was hoping to teach him how to walk up trees and across water before returning home. She crossed her fingers and hoped that he wouldn't have to use his newly developed skills while out with her. She didn't think he was ready for that.

Their first destination was a town that was a two day walk from Konoha. It was a fairly busy place with bars, hotels, a few small casino's and a small red light district. Sakura knew some people who worked in the city and who would help her. One of the perks of being a really good, extremely discreet medic was that people were willing to help you in any way they could once you helped them. Sakura had made many friends during her travels and many of them owed their lives to her.

She hoped to confirm one piece of intel in this town so that she could focus on Shin for the rest of time. It bothered her that she wasn't able to confirm one piece of intel before returning home. Maybe once Shin joined his own team she could take periodic trips out of the village and finish her mission. That, of course, depended on whether or not this loose end was true.

She needed to know if Hawk was back together.

* * *

**Author's Note: Since it's my birthday I decided to give everyone a gift. Enjoy! I hope the interactions between Sakura/Sai and Sakura/Kakashi weren't too weird. I do plan to elaborate, I swear. **


	5. Eyes

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If I did Kakashi would...oh man would he :)**

**Spoilers: AU. The truth has been twisted to meet my needs, as all truths should be! **

**Warnings: Same as before, No beta. Please excuse my mistakes :(**

* * *

The town looked just as she had remembered it. Stone paved paths, open air shops, and friendly people walking around. Since it was a beautiful day everyone in town was out and about. During the day the town was great, but at night it changed. The casinos that lined the ends of the streets would turn on their lights. The open air shops would close and the bars would open. Slowly the street lights would come on, along with the red lights.

That is how the atmosphere in the town started its transformation. There were still people walking around and they were still friendly, just a little bit too friendly. Every now and then someone would get too rowdy and they would be thrown into the street, but that was not as regular an occurrence as the first time she visited the town.

Sakura quickened her pace as she spotted the inn they would be staying at. It didn't look as grand or flashy as some of the other places on the street, but the people who worked there were wonderful people and that is what kept the place from going broke. As she slid open the doors a small bell rang announcing their arrival.

"Welcome to – Sakura!"

The old man standing behind the counter gave the pair a huge smile as she walked around the counter and approached Sakura, offering her a hug.

"Ken-san it's so good to see you." As the older man approached her Sakura opened her arms and hugged him back. Ken was tall with no hair. He had wrinkles around his eyes and mouth that deepened when he smiled. It made him appear warm and welcoming. Sakura knew from experience that even in his old age Ken was not one to be trifled with. He still had a firm handshake and can use his size and voice to demand respect from anyone.

"How long as it been?"

"Too long." As Ken released Sakura he noticed Shin standing behind her, observing the interaction between the two with obvious curiosity. "Who is this?"

"My name is Shin." Shin stepped forward and bowed his head at Ken. The introduction made Ken turn and look at Sakura.

"He's my student." Sakura laughed when Ken's eye got wide. "Yes, I'm a sensei."

Ken laughed and clapped his hands together. "Well it's about time. You have a good teacher here. Listen to her."

Sakura smiled at Ken. He was always so kind to her. After the passing of her parents, Ken was the closest thing to a father she had. He would listen to her and not interrupt her as she spilled her heart to him. Thinking back on it now Sakura realized that most of the things she cried about with Ken were trivial, childish things.

Ken turned away from the pair and approached the counter once again. Once behind the counter he looked at the wall of keys behind him, each one labeled with a number.

"One room, two beds please."

"Of course." Ken grabbed one set of keys and gave it to Sakura. "Welcome back Sakura."

Sakura returned the smile Ken gave her as she took the keys from his hand.

* * *

The room was nice and the beds spacious. What more could Sakura want? Dropping her bag she sat on the edge of the bed and threw herself back. Oh god, and the bed was soft too. Sakura closed her eyes and relaxed. The only sounds she heard were those from outside and the sounds of Shin settling in. The noise from inside the room stopped when she heard the sound of bedsprings. Opening her eyes she noticed Shin was sitting on his bed looking at her.

"How do you know that man?"

Sakura closed her eyes. He was getting more and more direct with his questions and statements. Sai was rubbing off on him. Sakura sat up and moved to sit indian style on the bed.

"A few years back I came to this town and met Ken-san. I helped him deal with a problem and since then I have been a welcomed guest and I get free rooms."

"What kind of problem?"

Sakura pressed her lips together in thought. She wasn't sure if she should reveal the truth or not. After looking at Shin for a moment she decided to go with the truth.

"This town has a rather robust red light district. Do you know what that is?"

Shin nodded, which surprised Sakura. "Kakashi-san let me borrow one of his books. It explained what a red light district was."

"Did it now? Did you like the book?"

"I didn't like the graphic nature of the book." Sakura had to close her eyes and count to ten in order to remain calm. She made a mental note to punch Kakashi in the face and not heal his bloody lip or black eye.

"Anyway, when I first arrived here there was this group of men who were staying here and causing trouble. They would attack other guest and damage the rooms. They were also going to the red light district and hurting the girls there. People were getting hurt and losing money."

"So you got rid of them?"

Sakura didn't stop the menacing smile that slowly crept on her face. The memory of teaching those men a lesson was simply too good to forget. The satisfaction from it always made Sakura happy.

Shin stated at Sakura for a moment before clearing his throat and looking to his feet. Sakura let out a short laugh before sighing.

"Why did you leave the village?"

"That is a question for another day." Sakura quickly stood up and grabbed her shoes. "Let's go find a nice open field so I get teach you how to walk up trees."

* * *

Sakura walked down the paved path at a leisurely pace. Shin was still in the field trying to figure out how to walk up and down trees. Sakura knew that he probably wouldn't be coming home tonight. It took Sasuke and Naruto all night to figure it out.

As Sakura walked past one of the red light establishments a man standing in the doorway made an obscene gesture with his hand at her. Before she even had a chance to respond another man standing next to him slapped him on the back of the head.

"Idiot don't you know who that is?"

"Should I?"

"That's the Poisoned Flower of Konoha."

"Shit! You serious?"

Sakura continued walking as the men scurried inside and away from her. It had been sometime since someone had referred to her by that name. She remembered how mad she was the first time she heard someone call her that. But the name was catchy, mysterious and kind of sexy. With time she came to love the name. She loved seeing the look on people's faces when they realized she was the Poisoned Flower. She loved the way the name sounded when someone said it with fear in their voice. After coming to terms with the name she realized that she had somewhat of a sadistic streak.

Sakura stopped in front of one red light establishment called "Love Spell". She always thought the name was cheesy, but it was popular with the people who frequented the red light district. She rang the bell and waited for the doorman to look through the peep hole at her.

After a few moments the door opened and a large, jolly man with a stern face opened the door and motioned her in. As soon as the door was closed behind her Sakura smiled and hugged the man. The stern look on his face immediately changed to one that matched his jolly physique.

"Daisuke, how are you?"

"Good. How are you Sakura?"

As they spoke Daisuke led Sakura down the hallways of the establishment. They moved past rooms where the sounds of giggling men and women could be heard. "I've been great actually. I finally went back to Konoha. I have a student now."

"Really, wow. Konoha is lucky to have you back." At the end of a particularly long hallway Daisuke knocked on a door and waited a moment before a voice welcomed them in.

The room was just as Sakura remembered it; simple yet elegant. There was a small table with a few bonsai trees on it on one side of the room. In the middle of the room there were mats on the floor surrounding a tea set. At the back of the room was a woman kneeling in front of a desk with paperwork. She wore a solid colored kimono that faded into a flower pattern at the hems. Her hair blond hair was pulled back in an ornate bun. She wore little make-up, not that she needed it.

"Sakura-san, what a surprise. Please sit. Daisuke can you get the tea?"

Sakura smiled and moved to kneel on one of the mats while the woman got up and kneeled on the mat directly in front of Sakura. Daisuke served the tea and sat indian style on another mat.

"You look beautiful Riko-san."

"I have you to thank for that." Riko took a small sip of her tea and lowered the cup to her lap. Sakura couldn't help but think back to the first time she met Riko. Daisuke had sought Sakura out because he had heard she was a medic. When Sakura saw Riko she was on the verge of death. The previous owner of Love Spell had attacked Riko because she had complained about a customer being too aggressive. At that time Riko was covered in blood and dirt. Sakura healed her wounds and asked Daisuke to carry Riko to her room so that she could bathe her. A few days later Sakura returned to Love Spell with Daisuke and found out that the owner had abused some of the other girls. Needless to say the owner left after spending some alone time with Sakura.

"I assume you came here because you need some information." Sakura blushed in embarrassment at the statement. "No need to worry. We all have things we need to do and I don't mind helping you along the way."

"Thank you Riko-san." Sakura took a sip of her tea before continuing. "Have you heard if 'the three' have teamed up again?"

Sakura watched as Rika gave Daisuke a quick glance. He in turn stood up and checked the door before standing in front of it. Sakura knew, without looking, that he now had his hand on his waist where he kept his hidden blade.

"One of my girls spoke to a man the other day who said he had worked with two very interesting men a few days before. One could turn into water and the other would go crazy when he was angry."

"Did he mention anything else?"

"Only that he was hired to locate the family of an old man. They wanted the man's adopted son."

Sakura froze at the information. Somehow they knew about Shin. Sakura thought back to his file. The lab was found deep in Sound territory. She had assumed the old man was from that area as well. The old man had been allowed to return home once he was reassured that Kabuto and Orochimaru were dead. Had he talked? Should she pay him a visit?

They were clear on the other side of the Fire Country and she had hoped to stay as far away from Sound as possible. She would need to send word back to Tsunade about the possible leak in information.

"Do you know of the old man and his adopted son?"

"I believe I do."

"It goes without saying, but if you ever need a place to hide yourself or others I am always here to help you."

"I know. Thank you."

* * *

Sakura sat back in the chair on the balcony of her room as she waited for Shin to return. After leaving Love Spell the night before she made a quick stop to check on him. Sure enough he was still trying to walk up the tree. He was able to stick to the tree but only if he damaged the truck. It was now early morning and the warm sun felt good as it warmed her face.

She had thought long and hard about the information she heard from Rika. She knew she could trust the woman with anything. But the information was only as trustworthy as the man providing it. Sakura wanted nothing more than to interrogate the man herself, but he had left the town two days before her arrival. Sakura had sent word to Tsunade letting her know about the intel and the unsecure nature of the information. Tsunade could worry about the old man. For now Sakura had to focus on Shin and getting him ready to join a team so she could focus, once again, on gathering intel.

Locating the third member of Hawk has been especially difficult. No one had seen her since she escaped Konoha. Every now and then Sakura would hear a rumor about a red headed, red eyed girl but they never turned up anything. The other two were easier to locate, but hard to pin down. They traveled constantly. Sakura had only been keeping tabs on them, but about a year ago she noticed that they three of them were getting closer and closer in their travels. She wasn't sure what it meant, but it concerned her.

Sakura didn't turn when she heard the door to the room open, she knew it was Shin. He didn't say anything to her, just closed the door behind him and walked into the bathroom. A few moments later she heard the shower running. Sakura turned and looked at the clock on the wall above the beds. Room service should be arriving soon with breakfast. She smiled to herself on being right about when Shin would be back and ordering food.

By the time Shin got out to the bathroom Sakura had set up the food on the small table on the balcony. She was sipping some coffee when Shin sat down.

"So how did it go?"

"I'm able to walk up the tree with no issues."

"Show me."

Shin put down the piece of toast he was holding and looked at Sakura. She in turn nodded and motioned to the wall next to the Shin. Wordlessly Shin stood up and positioned himself in front of the wall. He walked up the wall without damaging the wall and with little effort.

"Perfect. Next we'll try walking on water."

Shin walked off the wall and sat back down in his chair. He picked up his piece of toast and started to butter it. "When will we start that?"

"Well after breakfast I think we should pack up and go to our next destination. Where do you want to visit next?"

* * *

**(7 months later)**

"It feels good to be home."

Sakura smiled as she looked down at the gates of Konoha. Both her and Shin were standing on a tree that looked down on the valley Konoha was located in. She estimated it would take them about an hour to reach the gates.

She raised her arms above her head and leaned back, causing her back to crack. Shin readjusted his pack and put his hands in his pockets. The first time he had done that Sakura almost yelled at him to stop. Now she had come to terms with the fact that Shin did things, without his knowledge, that reminded her of Sasuke. It was unfair to him if she were to 'correct' him.

Over the past several months he had improved by leaps and bounds. She knew Iruka would pass him and he would quickly rise to the position of chuunin before he turned 15. They had celebrated his 11th birthday while on their travels. Shin only had a month and year for his date of birth, so Sakura had asked him to close his eyes and say the first number that came to mind. With that missing piece they had decided on his birthdate. He protested quite a bit when Sakura said they would celebrate but she knew he had enjoyed himself. He even graced her with a smile; granted it wasn't big but she didn't complain.

After lowering her arms, Sakura turned to Shin. "Ready?"

He simply nodded in response. The pair jumped down to a lower branch and then proceeded to move toward Konoha. As they jumped and swung from branch to branch Sakura felt something tickle the back of her brain. Not taking any chances she stopped running and stood on the branch. Shin dropped down next to her.

"Something wrong Sensei?"

Sakura didn't answer right away. Instead she focused on their surroundings trying to seek out what had gotten her attention. When she felt it again she knew someone was out there because Shin turned his head in same direction as her. Silently she signaled for Shin to jump up higher in the tree and hide. He looked like he was about to protest, but Sakura just repeated the signal more aggressively. Shin nodded and obeyed the command, but Sakura knew he was pissed.

Sakura felt the presence getting closer and closer. When they were about 10 feet from her they stopped. Silently Sakura started moving through the trees toward the person. Anyone watching her would have noted that she moved like a cat through the trees. She didn't have to look above her to know Shin was following close behind.

As she got closer she saw a large tree and knew that the person was hiding behind it. She had to make sure if they friend or foe first before engaging them. As she moved to round the tree from a distance she felt the presence split into two. One was coming at her and the other was moving past her and up the trees. Before she had a chance to move towards Shin she watched as the man with orange hair released his curse seal and charged her.

Jugo swung a punch and missed Sakura, but the blow destroyed the branch she had been on. Sakura knew that when the seal was released Jugo was nearly unstoppable. She would not be able to reason with him, he was a man overtaken by brute strength and murderous intent. Sakura knew if Jugo was here then that meant Suigetsu was fighting Shin. Although she trusted Shin's intelligence and abilities, she knew he wouldn't survive against Suigetsu for long.

Sakura blocked and threw Jugo into a nearby tree. She could hear metal hitting metal from above. She could also hear Suigetsu trash talking Shin. She thanked her luck stars that Shin was not one to get riled up by trash talk. He remained calm and collective. But still Sakura had to even the playing field.

As Jugo charged at her again Sakura gathered her chakra and punched the ground. The impact sent out a small shockwave that leveled the trees around her and threw rocks and earth into the air. Jugo was momentarily buried in rocks and other debris. Not far to her right Sakura saw Suigetsu and Shin moving to position themselves again after falling from their perches and landing on top of toppled trees. As Suigetsu picked up his katana and rushed Shin, Sakura pulled out one of the senbons from her hair and threw it at him. Suigetsu had no choice but to stop running in order to avoid being hit. Sakura took advantage of this and jumped in front of Shin.

"You must be the Poisoned Flower of Konoha. I'm going to enjoy plucking your petals."

Sakura said nothing. Instead she quickly formed seals and blew out a huge cloud of green poisonous gas. Suigetsu jumped back to avoid the cloud, but Jugo was not so lucky. Sakura had seen Jugo running towards them and knew he would be unable to stop himself. As soon as he started coughing Shin set the gas on fire with a fireball.

The gas was still burning when Sakura quickly pulled out the katana she had hidden in the back of her dress and blocked Suigetsu's blade from above. Sakura dropped her weight a bit so that she would have better leverage to push back when Shin was thrown against her. The force of the impact resulted in both of them being colliding violently.

Sakura recovered first, while Shin groaned as he attempted to stand. Before Sakura had a chance to get into some kind of fighting stance Jugo hugged her from behind, pinning her arms to her sides. Suigetsu held out his blade and pointed it at Shin.

"Don't move kid."

Sakura was doing all she could to keep from groaning. She didn't want to scare Shin, but Jugo was slowly squeezing her tighter and tighter.

"Jugo, don't kill her yet. Remember we have questions to ask."

Sakura was surprised when Jugo stopped squeezing her. It seemed that in the years since Sasuke's death he had learned some form of self-control. Although momentarily relieved, Sakura knew that that particular piece of information was not to her benefit.

Suigetsu approached Sakura, while still pointing his blade at Shin. With his free hand he grabbed a lose strand of hair from Sakura's bun.

"What is it with Sasuke and girls with weird hair." Shrugging more to himself than anyone else, Suigetsu quickly walked to Shin and grabbed Shin by his hair. He pulled Shin up and held his blade to Shin's throat. "Now, tell me where Sasuke's son is?"

Sakura couldn't stop herself from laughing. For all their information they were still missing a key piece of intel. When Suigetsu frowned at her, she laughed even louder. It was then Sakura noticed that Jugo relaxed his hold on her a bit. It wasn't a lot, by any means, but enough for Sakura to quickly formulate an escape plan.

"What's so funny?"

"Sasuke never had children. He has no son. Besides do you honestly think he would ever get that close to a woman? That he would allow himself to be that vulnerable?"

It was then Sakura felt the tickle in the back of her brain again, expect this time she knew who it was. She knew Suigetsu and Jugo felt it as well. Sakura threw her plan out the window and simply acted on instinct. Before Jugo could tighten his hold again, Sakura gathered chakra in her arms and shoulder and broke free of his hold. Pushing more chakra into her legs and feet she ran towards Shin. She wrapped her arms around him and continued to run. All of this happened in a matter of seconds.

Sakura had hoped she'd be fast enough to get some distance between them, but as she grabbed Shin, Suigetsu managed to cut Sakura along her back from shoulder to shoulder. She heard Shin yell her name, but she kept running. She knew by then that the presence she had felt was now in the clearing facing Jugo and Suigetsu. She almost smiled when she heard dogs growling and barking.

Once Sakura reached the trees again she located a large trunk and hid behind it. It was only then that she released Shin. He moved to go back towards the sound of fighting but Sakura grabbed him.

"Kakashi can handle them."

"But it's one against two."

"No it's not. Trust me."

Sakura heard a rustling from a nearby tree. She grabbed Shin and pushed him behind her. As the noise grew closer she pressed Shin into the trunk of the tree with her back. When Suigetsu appeared from behind a tree she ran her finger against the seal on her belt and grabbed the kunai that appeared.

"Sensei let me help."

"Don't move or I'll break your legs."

Sakura knew that the threat was empty and she knew Shin was aware of that fact. But she knew he understood the seriousness of the situation. Instead of waiting for Suigetsu to make the first move Sakura moved first and charged him. She was well aware that the cut on her back was bleeding and that the more she moved the more it bled, but she had to keep him away from Shin.

This time around Sakura was able to avoid his blade and was slowly getting the upper hand. She could tell he was getting frustrated, and that frustration finally resulted in an opening. Sakura quickly twirled the kunai in her hand and slashed at his chest. Just as the kunai was about to make contact Suigetsu's chest turned into water. The force of Sakura's swing resulted in her losing her balance momentarily. That moment was enough for Suigetsu to slash upwards at Sakura. His blade cut at her chest and one side of her chin, cheek and eyebrow.

As Sakura fell she heard the pounding of paws coming towards her. By the time she hit the ground Suigetsu was running with three dogs on his trail. Sakura pressed her hand to her eyebrow to try and keep blood from getting into her eye. She attempted to heal it, but was running low on chakra. Sakura turned to look at Shin. He was still standing by the tree and was unharmed. It was then Sakura noticed that he had his hands closed in fists and he was visibly shaking. He started running towards her, but as he got closer Sakura realized he was not coming to her but planned on running past her.

"Shin, no!"

As he ran past her, Sakura attempted to get up and grab him. But her movement was sloppy and she ended up tripping on her own feet and fell down again. When Sakura looked up again Shin had stopped running. He turned, walked towards her and kneeled. He had his head bowed.

"Why didn't you let me help?" When he raised his head and looked at Sakura she lost all ability to speak. Shin had activated his Sharingan. Sakura had started to have doubts if Shin even had the ability to begin with. It seemed that Kabuto truly was a genius and a monster.

"Close your eyes." Sakura watched as Shin pressed his eyebrows together, but didn't respond. Instead of waiting for Shin to close his eyes, Sakura grabbed his arm and pulled him forward. As Shin fell forward Sakura placed her free hand over his eyes. "Close your eyes."

Sakura told herself she was telling him to close his eyes for his protection, but part of her knew she was asking him to close them because of her. It had been 7 years since she'd seem those pair of eyes and she was actually surprised at how they made her feel like a weak teenage girl again.

"Sakura!"

The sound of Kakashi's voice brought her back to earth. When she removed her hands from Shin's eyes they were their normal black color again. She stared at him, trying to figure out if he even understood what had happened. He in turn just stared right back at her. She knew he was confused and she was sure her face had the same expression.

"Sensei, we need to get you to Konoha."

Shin stood up and grabbed Sakura's hands. He helped her up into a standing position. Once Sakura was standing she turned to Kakashi, who was in the process of removing the pack he was carrying. As Sakura watched Kakashi she was startled as Shin reached up and wiped away some of the blood around her eye and face. The action uncharacteristic of him and surprised Sakura.

"Shin, carry my pack and I'll carry Sakura."

Without saying a word Shin took the pack from Kakashi and waited until Kakashi kneeled in front of Sakura. Sakura cautiously lifted one leg but when she tried to wrap her arms around Kakashi's neck to lift her other leg she felt the cut on her back bleed more. When she attempted to pull her leg back Shin moved behind her and lifted her up by the waist onto Kakashi's back.

With her legs secured around Kakashi, Sakura grabbed a fistful of his shirt to keep her in position. Kakashi leaned forward and waited until Sakura gave word that she was ready.

"I'm good. Let's go."

* * *

Sakura wasn't sure when, but at some point she had fallen asleep on the way back to Konoha. When she woke up the sky looked dark outside her window. She estimated that she had lost at least 4 hours. As she looked around the room she saw Shin sitting in a chair next to her bed. He was slumped forward and breathing evenly. The book he was holding looked like it was slowly slipping from his fingers. Sakura was about to say his name when Kakashi and Tsunade walked in. The opening of the door woke Shin up.

"Sakura, how are you feeling?" Tsunade grabbed the chart that was hanging at the foot of the bed and started flipping through it.

"Okay I guess. Tired." It was then Sakura noticed that she had bandages on her face. A slight shift of her shoulders revealed that she also had bandages on her back and chest.

"Well your wounds, while bloody, didn't cut anything important. You should be able to go home tonight."

Tsunade put the chart back and turned to look at Kakashi. Sakura noticed the quick glance he gave Shin. Sakura was quick on the uptake and understood what they were trying to say.

"Shin, can you go home and bring me a change of clothes. Just pick any dress from my closet and a maybe a shaw or a wrap." Sakura smiled warmly at Shin. He in return just nodded as he closed his book and walked out of the room.

"How did you find us Kakashi?"

Kakashi took the chair that Shin emptied and places his hands on his knees. "I just happened to be returning from my own mission. It was pure luck."

"Sakura, I need you to tell us what happened?"

Sakura took a deep breath and sighed. "Obviously we were on our way back home. I sensed one person and went to investigate. Somehow I miscalculated and instead there were two people. Had I known that I would have hurried back."

"Did you know it was them?" Tsunade didn't have to say their names for Sakura to know who she was referring to.

"No. I've never actually encountered them before. Suigetsu asked for the location of Sasuke's son. How would they know about that?"

Tsunade looked quickly to Kakashi who just stated at Sakura. "They asked for Shin?"

"Basically, even if their information was wrong."

"And he heard this?"

"Yes."

This time Kakashi returned Tsunade's look. Tsunade cursed under her breath and walked to the window. Kakashi turned back to Sakura. As he looked at her Sakura could see something dawn on him.

"Is that why you covered his eyes?"

"He activated them for the first time. I didn't want them to find out." Sakura knew trying to hide the Sharingan was useless. Everyone would eventually find out. But she wasn't sure he was strong enough to protect himself from all the people who would want a piece of him.

Tsunade turned away from the window and moved back to her position at the foot of the bed. "This is what we'll do. Sakura get Kakashi up to speed on Shin's development. Kakashi talk to Shin about the Sharingan and what it can do and when you can teach him how to use it properly. By the end of the week I'll have Iruka re-evaluate him for placement. But before that, tomorrow morning I want to talk to him. I think it's time for him to get a history lesson."

Sakura felt panic start to rise up in her chest. She had wanted to be the one to tell Shin so that she could control the information. But with Tsunade telling him; she wasn't sure what she would say.

"Sakura, look at me." Sakura slowed her breathing and looked at Tsunade. "I wouldn't do that to you."

As Sakura calmed down she turned to Kakashi. She could see the questions forming in his head, and he may have asked her those questions if Shin hadn't walked in at that moment with a bag. Wordlessly he placed the bag on the bed and turned to walk out. He held the door open and stared at the back of Kakashi's head. Tsunade was the first to comment.

"Looks like he's the protective kind." Tsunade winked at Sakura as she approached Kakashi. She tapped on his shoulder and pointed at the door. The contact seemed to snap Kakashi back to reality.

"Oh, hai hai." Kakashi appeared embarrassed as he approached the door. "I'll see you tomorrow morning Sakura-chan."

* * *

After walking Shin to the Hokage Tower Sakura wandered town aimlessly. The cuts on her face had scabbed over. She knew with proper healing she could avoid any drastic looking scar on her face, although she was worried she might not be able to grow hair where he eyebrow had been cut.

Without even realizing it Sakura had ended up in front of Naruto's house. She debated going in since she was supposed to meet with Kakashi. But since he hadn't given her a time, or a location for that matter, she decided to knock on the door.

Once again Hinata opened the door, except this time she was very visibly pregnant and radiant. Pregnancy suited her well. Naruto quickly rounded a corner of the house. He had some paint on his face, but looked just as excited as Hinata.

Pair welcomed her in and quickly started asking about the wounds on her face. Sakura decided to tell them the truth. After coming home the night before Sakura could tell that Shin had questions, but he was not approaching her like he normally would. She had gained so much ground with him in terms of trust, but she felt she was quickly losing it. For a long time Sakura had only answered his questions with partial truths, or complete avoidance because she was 'protecting him'. It wasn't until Tsunade decided to talk to him that Sakura realized she wasn't protecting him, she was protecting herself. Her selfishness had resulted in her getting seriously hurt and Shin almost being found out. As she had laid in bed that night she decided that her days of 'protecting herself' were over. She needed to learn to trust others again, just as Shin had learned to trust her.

After telling Naruto and Hinata the whole thing she waited for a response. Naruto was the first to speak.

"He has the Sharingan. Sakura that must have really had an impact on you."

"You really have no idea."

"What do you think Tsunade-sama will tell him?"

Sakura had also thought about the same thing last night. "I think she's going to explain to him everything about the Uchiha's and Sasuke."

Sakura watched as Naruto turned and looked at Hinata. They were having some type of silent conversation that Sakura was unable to join or follow. Naruto nodded to Hinata and scooted his chair closer to Sakura.

"Why haven't you explained to him about Sasuke?" Sakura figured she must have had a hurtful look on her face by the way Naruto responded. "Sakura, I'm sorry I didn't mean to—"

"Don't apologize. You have a completely valid question and I don't have a good answer. I mean I have an answer, but it's selfish."

Sakura watched as Naruto leaned forward and took her hands in his own. The look on his face was one of comfort and understanding. At that very moment he looked more like a Hokage then at any other time.

"I left Konoha because of Sasuke. After he died I needed time to mourn and being here was not helping. Everyone kept saying how sorry they were and how we," Sakura gripped Naruto's hands a little tighter, "would eventually move on. The whole thing made me feel like I was useless, so I left. I got stronger, made a name for myself. I grew up."

"Yeah we all noticed."

"But that day you found me and told me about Shin it felt like all my hard work was for nothing. The moment I saw him I was that little girl again. I felt like I was getting better over time, but fuck Naruto. Every day I spent with him was a challenge. He has no idea how much like Sasuke he is, and that scares me. I didn't tell him about Sasuke because _I_ wasn't ready."

Sakura was proud of herself for not crying. She was also happy that Naruto wasn't looking at her with pity in his eyes.

"Sakura, you of all people should know what not knowing you who are can do to a person. You've seen the effects."

"I know. He could have been killed yesterday and it would have been my fault."

There was a small knock on the door and Hinata waved at Sakura and Naruto to stay seated. As quickly as she could, Hinata stood up and walked to the front door. As she walked away Naruto leaned back in the chair. Sakura's hands felt cold when he let her go. When Hinata walked back in she was accompanied by Kakashi. Sakura noted that he had gotten really good at tracking her down.

"Well the atmosphere in here feels heavy. I take it Sakura was going over her recent missteps as a sensei."

Sakura closed her eyes and inhaled sharply. A much as the comment was below the belt she knew it was true.

"Kakashi that was harsh."

"Come now Naruto, don't tell me that you've never made a mistake with Konohamaru."

"Uh, well no…uh yes, but..."

"Everyone makes mistakes. I've made plenty, and you two know it. But you learn from those mistakes and you try to be a better sensei."

Sakura couldn't help but notice the quick stealing glance Kakashi threw her way. Although it was quick the look still made Sakura feel excited. She was glad that Naruto hadn't noticed the look since he happened to be looking at Hinata at just that moment.

"Well thank you Kakashi, that makes me feel a little better. We should go and so that I can update you."

As they got up Hinata reached out for Sakura. "Why don't you come by tonight for dinner? Bring Shin with you."

"You sure? You don't look like you should be spending too much time in the kitchen. I suspect you'll give birth before the end of the month."

"Really? They told me I was due next month."

Sakura placed her hand on Hinata's stomach and looked off in the distance in order to concentrate. She smiled when she turned back to Hinata.

"Trust me, you'll give birth this month. Have they told you the sex of the baby?"

Hinata glanced over at Naruto. "Actually we decided we want to wait."

"Okay, not a problem." Sakura remove her hand and straightened her dress. "Well then I'll see you tonight."

* * *

Sakura placed her hands on the fallen tree she was sitting on and pushed back her shoulders. The action made her chest stick out, something that she noticed Kakashi was aware of.

After leaving Naruto's house the pair walked to one of the training grounds that wasn't used as often for training as it was intended. The area was isolated and reasonably far from main roads. The wooded area was a particularly tricky area to navigate as trees had toppled over many years ago and new trees had grown around them. Since there were no paths all of the grass and shrubs were unusually tall. With all of the natural coverage at night the area would turn into a local make out spot.

Sakura thought back to the last time she was here. She had come with Sai and the area was empty of anyone else. She looked over to a nearby tree where she could still make out where she had warn away some tree bark with her hands.

Kakashi faked a cough that brought Sakura back to the present. He was leaning against the tree trunk Sakura was sitting on, but a few feet away. "So, Shin. It sounds like he'll pass Iruka's evaluation with no problems. And his chakra control is.."

"Good. He still has some room to improve in that area, but thinking back on it now his issues may have been because his eyes were trying to activate without his knowledge."

"What about his fighting demeanor?"

"Calm, cool and collective. He doesn't respond to trash talk, believe me I tried that one." Sakura ignored the raised eyebrow Kakashi gave her. "If he feels that he's getting over his head he takes a step back and re-evaluates. He's good at keeping his emotions in check."

"He looked pretty emotional when I found you two yesterday."

"He's never done that before."

Kakashi pushed himself off the tree and walked towards her. Sakura noted that his movements were like a predator stalking their prey. She vaguely wondered where their conversation about Shin took a turn down this path. Not that she minded.

When he reached her he stood about a foot in front of Sakura. "You do realize his eyes activated because of you."

"Is that how it works?" Sakura knew that the threat to her life was the reason. She knew enough about the Sharingan to understand that. She also knew Kakashi was aware of her level of knowledge on the matter.

"Yes that's how it works. I've also noticed that he seems very protective of you. I would say it was somewhere between a brother/sister relationship and mother/son relationship."

Somehow, Sakura wasn't sure when, Kakashi had closed the distance between them. He slowly leaned forward and placed his hands on either side of Sakura. Since he was leaning forward Sakura didn't have to open her knees to accommodate him.

"Don't call me a mother. It makes me feel old."

"Believe me when I say this." Kakashi leaned in closer and was just inches from Sakura's face. "You are not old."

Even in an actual forest Sakura noticed that Kakashi actually smelled better than the woods surrounding them. The sound of his voice was doing things to her that she hadn't experienced in a very long time. The low base on his tone made the muscles in her lower back tighten, which made her chest push out even more. Sakura moved her hands off the tree trunk and placed them on Kakashi's forearms.

"Then what am I-" Slowly Sakura moved her hands up Kakashi's arms until she reached his biceps. She stopped her hands and looked down at them. Slowly she squeezed a few times then started rubbing slow circles with her thumbs. "-Kakashi."

"Apparently a sadist." Sakura smiled and then lightly bit her bottom lip.

"Yes, I know that. But what else."

Growing bolder with each moment Moved forward and stopped when his hips hit Sakura's knees. He gave her a look, but Sakura shook her head. She wasn't going to open her knees and let him get closer. Why would she do that when teasing him was so much more fun. Instead Kakashi placed his hands on Sakura's knees and slowly started to move them up her thighs.

"You are a woman." His hands continued their journey up, past her hips to her waist and ribs.

"Yes I am aware of that."

"And I only recently have become aware of that. I'm not even sure when it happened." When he reached her shoulders he let one hand fall back to her knee, while the other reached for her face. He lightly ran a finger along the line of her jaw, from her ear to her chin. "I only hope I am not too old for you."

"With age comes experience."

"I'm not used to hearing you say things like that."

Sakura sensed Shin approaching before she saw him. Kakashi was too distracted at the moment to notice his approach. Sakura estimated she had about a minute before Shin rounded a set of trees and spotted them.

"Well you should be used to hearing things like that thanks to those books you read." Sakura reached up and took Kakashi's hand from her face. She smiled sweetly at him before punching him in the face. "If you ever give Shin one of those books again you'll see how much of a sadist I can be."

Sakura timed her punch and outburst perfectly. She didn't want him to see her and Kakashi having an intimate moment. As Kakashi recovered he spotted Shin and looked over at Sakura as he held his lip. Sakura gave him an apologetic look before waving to Shin to come over. Once he was close enough Sakura patted the trunk next to. Shin ignored her and instead leaned against the trunk.

"So how was your talk?"

"Informative."

Sakura opened her mouth to respond was but she wasn't sure where to go with it. She turned to Kakashi, who was standing up now, for help.

"Anything you wish to share."

"You both know it all already."

Sakura lost her patience and smacked Shin on the shoulder. He reacted by rubbing his shoulder and giving her a puzzling look. "Enlighten us anyway."

Shin spoke as he continued to rub his shoulder. "He told me about Sasuke and his brother. About how you were on his team and Kakashi-san was your sensei. She told me all about his fight with Naruto and joining the sound."

Shin stopped rubbing his shoulder, but kept his hand in place. Slowly he turned and looked at Sakura. "She told me about how much you love—loved him and how he tried to kill you and Naruto."

Sakura didn't break eye contact with Shin as she spoke. "What do you think of all this new information."

"I think I understand you better. Why you were always so careful with me. You were protecting me."

Sakura broke eye contact and looked away from Shin and avoided looking at Kakashi. For a moment she felt unworthy of Shin and his trust in her. As quickly as the thought came Sakura blinked it away.

"Well enough of that. Today Kakashi will be teaching you all about the Sharingan."

Sakura almost laughed at the look Shin threw Kakashi. It was a lot like the look she gave him the first time she met him all those years ago. Kakashi must have thought the same thing because he smiled at her and Shin.

"Shin, do you remember how I told you to look underneath the underneath."

"Yes."

Kakashi reached up and raised his forehead protector, revealing his Sharingan. Sakura smiled at the reaction Shin gave upon seeing the eye. It was a rarity for someone to not know about the Copy Ninja.

"Well think of this as a continuation of that conversation."

* * *

**Author's Note: It has been a really long time since I've written an action sequence. I tend to get lost and confused if too much detail is given, so I tend not to give a lot. Let the characters freely move in your mind as you follow along. With regards to the interaction between Kakashi and Sakura, I'm pretty happy with it. Nothing overly WAFF, which is not really my thing. The whole sadist thing, come on she's punching people left and right for very little. She totally enjoys it. :)**


	6. Changes

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If I did Kakashi would be a stripper.**  
**Spoilers: AU. The truth has been twisted to meet my needs, as all truths should be! **  
**Warnings: No beta**

* * *

There have been many situations in Sakura's life that made her feel nervous. Some situations were more memorable than others. There was the time she visited Sasuke in the hospital and he threw her apple. There was the time she confessed her love to him. The first time she saw Naruto after Sasuke had left. Her first lesson with Tsunade. Sparing with Naruto when he returned to Konoha. Seeing Sasuke again. Telling Naruto she loved him. Trying to kill Sasuke. Her first kiss with Sai. Her first time with Sai.

Okay she had a lot of moments, but this moment she was experiencing now was new and different. She was nervous, borderline anxious, but the situation was one she was not involved in. She wasn't even the one experiencing the situation. The feeling was something new for her, and that was probably what was making her feelings all the more strong.

"Sakura you need to relax, he'll be fine." Kakashi sheepishly reached out and attempted to remove the senbon she was holding.

Frustrated with the whole thing Sakura shoved the senbon into his hands. In normal situations she would have laughed at the face he made when he saw how bent the senbon was, but this was not a normal situation.

"What if Iruka decides not to pass him? What if he does pass him, there isn't a team for him? What if he gets a team and they are awful? What if—"

Sakura was stopped by Kakashi's hand over her mouth. "He will be fine. Now will you please calm down. I don't need you stressing out Hinata."

Sakura nodded a few times and Kakashi removed him hand. They continued walking towards Naruto's house in silence. When they had come by for dinner it was decided that they would all gather and celebrate Shin's induction as a Genin. At that time Sakura had no doubts, but as the date approached she became a mess. But she knew Kakashi was right, Shin would be fine and Hinata was in a delicate state. She would be giving birth any day now, which was a month early as Sakura had predicted.

As soon as the house was in view Sakura saw Naruto standing in the front yard looking frantic. She was running before she even realized it. As soon as Naruto spotted her she began waving his arms in the air frantically.

"What happened?"

"I think she's having the baby! I didn't know what to do!"

Sakura didn't wait for more information. She ran into the house and found Hinata lying on the bed. She looked calm, but Sakura could clearly see that she sweating and uncomfortable. Sakura looked around the room and found a sheet. She drapped it over Hinata, who planted her feet on the bed and waited for Sakura to check her. After a quick check Sakura turned to Naruto and Kakashi, who just stood in the doorway, afraid to enter.

"One of you go get Tsunade or Shizune. The other, I need you to go to my room. In my closet is a black bag that has all of my medical instruments. I need it."

"Sakura-chan I don't want to leave—"

"She's not having the baby in the next five minutes!" Sakura stood in front of Naruto and pointed in the general direction of her house. "Go!"

Kakashi grabbed Naruto by his arm and lightly tugged him out of the room. This was not the first time Sakura had helped someone give birth. She knew what she was doing. Hinata trusted her and was following all directions perfectly. It was Naruto who had her concerned. She didn't need him having a full blown panic attack. That was why she asked for help.

* * *

Sakura took a sip of the sake cup in her hand as she glanced at the sky. Four hours. Hinata only took four hours to give birth. Not only did the baby arrive early, they came fast too. After checking the baby over with both Tsunade and Shizune she grabbed the liquor and went outside.

Both women came over and assisted in the birth. Tsunade observed Sakura but gave no direction. She would every now and then tell Naruto to calm down. It made Sakura feel accomplished that Tsunade congratulated her afterward. Shizune focused on Hinata and her needs.

As Sakura took another sip she saw Shin walking up the path. She smiled when she noticed he was holding his forehead protector.

"I see you passed. Congratulations. Were you placed on a team?"

"I was. I'm supposed to meet them tomorrow. One of the original members apparently passed away."

Sakura frowned at the news. She knew how difficult it could be for someone for join a new team. "That's awful. If they give you grief, just give them time to adjust. Do you know who your sensei will be?"

Shin pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to Sakura. She immediately recognized the name of the team leader. She had encountered him during the war and he gave Sakura the impression of someone who had compassion and skill but was also stern. Shin would do well under him.

"You have a good sensei. He can be a bit rough, but you'll do fine."

Shin took back the paper from Sakura and turned to the house. There was a lot of commotion happening inside and Sakura could see one of Shin's eyebrows raise in curiosity.

"Hinata had her baby. Let's go inside and I'll introduce you."

Sakura gathered her cup and bottle and walked to the front door. She opened the door before realizing Shin hadn't moved from his spot. Sakura placed the items in her hands on the table inside the door and approached Shin.

"She had a baby?"

"Yes."

"What if I hurt the baby?"

"Don't be silly. Babies are delicate but I'm sure you will do just fine. I'll be there the whole time, okay?"

Sakura watched Shin nod and move towards the door. Once inside the house they made their way to the bedroom. Kakashi, Shizune, and Tsunade were in the kitchen drinking. She could tell that before the sun set Shinzune would have to drag Tsunade home. Naruto and Hinata were in the bedroom. Hinata was sitting in the bed and Naruto was walking around holding the baby. When he saw Shin he smiled.

"Shin you passed. Today is really a great day. Come here and meet Hitomi."

Naruto turned and faced Shin. Sakura had to admit, they made a beautiful baby. She was pale like Hinata and blond like Naruto. She hadn't really opened her eyes yet, so they weren't sure if she had the Byakugan. She did have a light sprinkling of freckles over her nose and cheeks that just made her appear all the more adorable.

Shin just stared at Hitomi. It was obvious he was unsure of himself, and it made Sakura smile. It was not often that Shin was out of his element, and he was most definitely out of his element with Hitomi. Sakura grabbed a nearby chair and pushed it into the back of Shin's knees, making him sit in the chair. Sakura smiled at Naruto, who was quick to pick up what she was trying to do and approached Shin. Sakura reached around and moved her arms in front of Shin.

"Just position your arms like this and make sure you support her head with your hand."

"What if I drop her?"

"You won't drop her. Don't worry."

Shin moved his arms in the same position Sakura had demonstrated and Naruto slowly placed Hitomi into them. Naruto helped Shin adjust his arms and hands so that he was supporting the baby in all the right places. During the whole process Hitomi continued to sleep.

The three adults in the room remained silent as they watched Shin ever so slowly begin to relax. It started in his shoulders and moved down his body. You could almost see his muscles relaxing one by one. By the time he reached up to touch her hair he was only aware of her and no one else.

As he slowly touched her soft blond hair Hitomi made a small sound and threw her arms above her head and stretched. When she lowered her arms she bumped into Shin's hand and grasped one of his fingers. Shin stroked her finger with his thumb. The action almost made Sakura say 'aww' out loud. As Shin continued to touch her finger Hitomi opened her eyes. Naruto was the first to react.

"Oh let me see." Naruto positioned himself behind Shin and leaned over. "Hinata her eyes look like yours, but they look more blue than purple. Do you think it'll change later?"

"I don't know. I guess we'll just have to wait and see."

Hitomi started opening and closing her mouth, an action that confused Shin.

"What does that mean?"

"It means she's hungry and it also means we have to leave."

Naruto reached and took Hitomi from Shin and handed her to Hinata.

"Remember Hinata, if you need anything just let me or Shizune know."

* * *

The sun had just set when Sakura and Shin started their walk home. As predicted Shizune had to carry Tsunade out since she had celebrated just a bit too much. Kakashi left not long after that claiming he had work to do. Everyone knew it was a lie. Sakura had a suspicion on where he was really going. Curious as she was, she had to take Shin home and feed him.

Shin was quiet the whole way home. Sakura didn't expect him to talk her ear off, he never did that, but she expected questions about genin teams or babies or his sensei.

Something.

Anything.

Instead he walked straight to his room and shut the door. Sakura simply sighed and rummaged through the fridge for leftovers to heat up. As she went about setting the table Shin reappeared. He stood in the doorway looking at his hand, not saying anything. Sakura thought about speaking up until she realized that he was looking for the right words.

"She'll get bigger right?"

Sakura didn't need to ask who he was referring to. "Yes. She'll grow up fast and before you know it she'll become a genin too."

"Naruto-san and Uzumaki-san love her right?"

"Yes they do. I care about her, so did everyone else there. Once all of our friends meet her they will also care about her." Sakura paused for a moment before continuing. "Do you care about her?"

Shin looked up at her and then back down at his hands. She noticed that he was paying special attention to the finger she had taken hold of earlier.

"I feel that I need to protect her. I'm sure her parents are more than capable, but…"

"That means you care."

"I care about you, but this is different."

Sakura was taken slightly aback. Shin had never openly discussed his feelings for her. She knew he cared and she hoped he knew. She had a feeling that he may never again express his feelings for her as directly as he was doing now.

"I care about you too."

"But not in the way you do Kakashi-san?" Sakura was glad Shin was still looking down at his hand. She could feel the heat radiating off her face and chest. "I think I understand now."

* * *

Sakura smiled and waved as she watched Shin walk away from the house. Today was the first day he would be heading out on a mission with his team. When Sakura closed the door to the house she almost ran upstairs to her room. She quickly pulled out one of her small packs and started searching for her weapons and medical gear.

In the few days it took Shin to get acclimated with his team, Sakura had spoken to Tsunade and arranged for her own mission. At night Sakura would plan out her course of action and during the day she would listen as Shin complained about "girls staring at him and giggling." She hadn't told Shin she was leaving. The only person who knew was Tsuande.

Shin's mission was only supposed to last a week. Sakura knew that wasn't enough time to gather proper intel but she had no choice. She planned on visiting 'Love Spell', confirming some things and then seeing if she could get them to gather intel for her. She planned to be home the day before Shin, just in case.

* * *

"Sakura, I just don't know about this."

"Tsunade-sama, please you have to let me go. I'm getting close." Sakura watched as Tsunade ran her hands over her eyes and up to her air.

For the past several months Sakura had been leaving the village and gathering her information. She was finally able to confirm that Hawk had regrouped. They moved from place to place quickly and were difficult to track. Their movements made little sense to Sakura, until she realized it was all a ruse. By then it was too late, the old man was dead.

"I'll let you leave if you do one thing for me." Sakura nodded as she waited for Tsunade to continue. "Tell me why you are looking for them."

"They are traitors who need to be eliminated." Sakura was actually surprised at how quickly she was able to come up with a response.

"This has nothing to do with Sasuke?"

"No."

"In that case: permission denied." Tsunade reached into her drawer and started looking through the varies stamps she had.

"What, why?!"

"Do not raise your voice to me!" Sakura, not realizing she had stood up, sat back down. "You are lying to me and until you tell me the truth you can't leave."

"You realize no one forced you to leave or come back. Jiraya was free to travel around wherever he wanted. I'm trying to do something good here and you are just going to deny me?"

"You are on a death mission!"

"Urg!"

Frustrated beyond control, Sakura stood up and stormed out of the office. The further she walked away from the Hokage Tower the more she felt her feelings of anger evolve into a mixture of shame an embarrassment. The last time she had gotten into a shouting match with Tsuande was before the war. Sakura wanted to go to the frontlines but Tsuande wanted her to work triage. Sakura relented and later had to watch as Neji was brought in so that his body could be prepared for his funeral.

She wasn't sure which was worse, seeing the aftermath or seeing it happen.

* * *

Sakura pulled her feet up onto her chair and wrapped her arms around her legs. The air was cool, but not overly cold. The warmth from her legs on her chest was enough to keep her from grabbing a blanket. Her garden would soon change and all the leaves would disappear before being reborn in the Spring.

As she contemplated planting some year-round flowers Kakashi walked from behind one of the trees. She laughed to herself at the sight of him. It was as if he always knew when she was in the garden.

"So how are things, Sakura?"

He sat on one of the chairs next to Sakura. She didn't feel like sparring with him today.

"Tsuande won't let me leave."

"I know."

"And?"

"And, I think she has her reasons just like you do."

Sakura knew that Kakashi was trying to get information out of her. She signed as she thought about telling him the truth. Really it seemed silly to keep it all a secret. It wasn't even something that would send shockwaves through the village. No one would care because no one would find out. The truth was that unimportant. So why hadn't she told Tsunade? Sakura sighed as the found her answer.

Pride.

"Sakura I'm going to ask you a question and I don't want you to misinterpret my intentions with it. Do you love him?"

Sakura pulled her knees closer. She lowered her head and hid her face in her knees. She wasn't quite sure which 'him' Kakashi was referring to.

Sasuke? Shin?

She decided to go with the safe route. Lifting her head Sakura looked straight ahead. "I think as time as passed I have grown to really care for Shin. I've never had siblings or children so I don't know what that type of love feel like, but I can say with all assurance that what I feel for him is not the same type of love I've felt before. So yes, I guess you can say I love him."

"Is he the reason you want to take the extended leave?"

This time Sakura did turn to look at Kakashi. "They are dangerous. They followed Sasuke blindly and if they think Shin is Sasuke's son who knows what they will do once they have him. I think they want to finish was he started."

"The elimination of Konoha."

"They can't be allowed to continue."

Kakashi nodded and turned back to the garden. Sakura could see the gears turning in his head. Slowly Kakashi threw his head back and closed his eyes. He was lost in thought. Sakura studied his profile. The way his hair moved slightly in the breeze. The way his adam's apple moved as he swallowed. How his lips parted when he licked them.

He really was a beautiful man.

When he turned his head Sakura quickly turned and looked out at the garden. She hoped he hadn't noticed her staring.

"Why won't you tell Tsunade this?"

"I suppose I want her to trust me. No one questioned Jiraya when he would come and go as he pleased. I shouldn't have to ask for permission. I shouldn't have to go to her and tell her why these people need to be eliminated."

"She's worried you'll leave and not come back for several years. Again."

"I can't do that. I have Shin."

Sakura could see Kakashi tilt his head slightly. She turned just in time to see a smile spread on his face.

"Did I say something funny?"

"No, you said what I wanted to hear."

"What does that mean?"

"She asked to me to come by and talk to you. I was tasked with either approving your leave and any restrictions I deem necessary."

"Restrictions?" Sakura could feel herself getting angry at the word. She never had restrictions before.

"Yes restrictions if I think they are necessary." Sakura opened her mouth to protest but Kakashi raised his hand silencing her. "I'm going to approve your leave and for the time being I will be traveling with you to assess the situation."

Sakura surprised not only herself, but Kakashi as well, when she jumped up from her seat.

"What do you mean to assess the situation!? Do you think I'm too weak to take them on myself, or that I am incapable of gathering intel!?"

As she stared at Kakashi and waited for him to say something she felt, more than saw, the look. It started at her feet and slowly the heat radiated up. Past her thighs, her hips and waist. The heat paused for a small moment at her chest before reaching her face. The heat in Kakashi's face vanished as soon as she memorized it.

"Yes, assess the situation. Is that a problem?"

"No. Not at all."

"Well I'm glad. Keep me posted on when you plan to leave."

Sakura felt the words reach her tongue but she kept her lips closed. Kakashi must have noticed because he paused as he stood from his seat. When Sakura said nothing he simply walked back through her garden the same way he walked in.

Sakura swore he changed the way he was walking because she almost spoke the same words as before.

_Let's leave now._

* * *

Several months had passed since Shin first joined his team. It had been weeks since he had taken a mission longer than a week, much to the frustration of Sakura. But now that the Chunnin exams were in a few months away it appeared that her chance to finally leave and conduct some real intel was coming. Shin had mentioned that his Sensei wanted to take on a C rank mission, which would require them to be gone for a month. As soon as she heard the news she spent all day looking for Kakashi.

She finally found him leaving Naruto's house. Since the birth of Hitomi Sakura had noticed a change in Kakashi. When they walked through the village together he would point out things that he thought Naruto or Hitomi might like. It had gotten so bad at one point that Naruto made a comment about Kakashi being that Grandpa that would spoil kids.

Kakashi didn't correct him.

"I've been looking everywhere for you." Sakura took a moment to catch her breath before keeping pace with Kakashi.

"Obviously not everywhere."

Sakura decided to ignore the comment. "Shin is going on a month long mission. It's the perfect time to go out and gather some intel."

"I take it then you want to leave immediately."

Sakura felt more than heard what Kakashi was implying. Anyone overhearing their conversation would not pick up on it, but Sakura knew better.

"Shin leaves tomorrow morning."

"Tomorrow afternoon then. I hope all your contacts are open to me being there."

"Oh I'm sure they will be more than accommodating."

Kakashi nodded and turned down a street that led to his apartment. Sakura once again noticed that his walk was different. She also noticed that somehow their conversation about intel had somehow turned a double entendre.

* * *

**My precious readers I beg forgiveness. This just got so crazy in my life. It was hard to find the time to sit down and write. It seems that with time I come up with new paths, plot points, and ideas for my characters. It can really drive a person crazy. **

**Anyway, I really hope everyone enjoys this chapter. I'm thinking of quickening the pace and throwing in another time jump. No need to draw things out. Especially when I can get to the yummy, juicy plot points I've been planning and imagining from the beginning. **


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